Invasion
by pen 'n notebook
Summary: Alternate Universe. There are no firebenders in Ba Sing Se, Lee's mother warned. Not until the Fire Nation invaded.
1. Invasion

_Author's Note:_ Alternate Universe. Zuko, unaware he's a prince, was raised as Lee by his mother in Ba Sing Se. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation invaded.

* * *

 **Invasion**

By: Pen 'n Notebook

* * *

Alternate Universe. There are no firebenders in Ba Sing Se, Lee's mother warned. Not until the Fire Nation invaded.

* * *

The day the Fire Nation invaded Ba Sing Se, Lee thought little of the marching troops. Their machines impressed him, shaking the ground with the force of an angry earthbender as hard steel carved into the street and chewed up the flattened surface carelessly. Men and women in black armor paraded past the teashop where Lee worked.

They moved with more grace than he'd ever seen from the local law enforcers in Ba Sing Se. So confident. Proud, like the Dai Li agents and just as terrifying.

All eyes (colored amber and copper) stared straight ahead. The pose spoke of their power, their ability to strike fear in the faces they conquered without looking. One polished boot after another cut through the dust of the unpaved streets. Fire Nation soldiers ignored the Lower Ring's Fourth Quarter's residents hiding behind doorways.

Across the city, fearful eyes dart back and forth between each window's wooden slats. Scared. Confused. Worried. How had the Fire Nation broken through the outer wall? Someone would have heard the fighting.

Lee watched the troops move, though he couldn't see very well through the dirt-streaked glass of the teashop's front window. A costumer, Shan who wore a robe more brown than green, brushed him aside for a better view. Lee shuffled sideways, catching himself against the wall before loosing his balance.

No one else in the dingy teashop noticed; all stared in fascination mixed with speechless horror.

Lee ground his teeth together fuming silently, but said nothing, letting the man take his place at the window.

He was not afraid. Lee knew the soldiers were moving forward. Upward. There was no honor in conquering the Lower Ring's Fourth Quarter, the poorest of the poor, while all those golden rooftops belonging the Earth Kingdom nobility in the Upper Ring waited like sat like fat turtleducks on serving platters.

The Fourth Quarter had nothing worth looting, Lee thought bitterly. The Fire Nation couldn't possible want cracked ceramic teacups, cheap textiles, or trash lined tenements. Maybe in the First Quarter, where the railway connected to the Middle and Upper Rings, the Fire Nation invaders could rob the artisans who made jewelry and painted fine china bowls. But here, nothing.

For a moment, Lee imagined himself marching like the Fire Nation soldiers. He saw himself in the Earth Kingdom's army, proud and decorated in uniform. His uniform clean, crisp with newly cut fabric fitted perfectly to his lanky size, a sharp sword or two tucked beneath the belt sash.

But Lee shook the fantasy away quickly. He was no earthbender. The army had not recruited him for the blindness in his left eye and the sickly golden color of his right one.

Mixed blood had no place in the Earth Kingdom's vision of peace.

Lee, his mother, and all the refugees in the city's small Fourth Quarter wore green robes to convince Ba Sing Se of their loyalty, as if the nationally colored garments darkened pale skin and turn muddied amber eyes hazel in the light of green glowing crystals.

Half blood citizens lived in the Fourth Quarter's confined neighborhood. Shopkeepers from the other quarters refused to hire those who might scare away customers. No Earth Kingdom landlord rented to people like _them_. Dirty refugees. Traitors to everyone, wanted by no one. Scum to both the world's largest and most powerful nations. Easier for the Dai Li agents to watch, too Lee suspected.

Most of the Fourth Quarter was lucky enough to be born nonbenders or earthbenders.

No one spoke about firebenders. Not behind these walls.

No firebenders lived in Ba Sing Se. His mother's voice echoed loud and clear with the lesson for as long as he could remember. _No firebenders live in Ba Sing Se. Do you understand, Lee?_

If Lee pretended hard enough, he belonged to the green city and tried not to feel the fire willing to spring from his untrained palms.

Mom forced Lee to carry his passport. Proof of his right to live in the Ba Sing Se unharrassed when he traveled to larger markets of the Lower Ring's Third Quarter. Twice local guard forced him to pull it out. Nearly stole it too.

Since he could remember, Lee's mother promised they were safe in the Lower Ring. In fact, the passport tucked in the inner pocket of his robe guaranteed it. Food filled their bellies. Though the labor was underpaid, but it was theirs –– no matter how little. They were alive (and mostly) unbullied by either the Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation.

Until now. Maybe. No one knew what changes the arrival of the Fire Nation brought.

After the soldiers passed, the owner, Jeng, called Lee back to work with several quick snaps from his fingers. Lee remembered the serving tray gripped in one hand and damp rag in the other. The patrons returned to their tables more slowly.

Luckily no one spilled tea in the commotion.

Whispers circle in the safety of the shop, both excited and nervous. Lee caught half the words as he moved back and forth between the tables.

"Just wait," Anno chittered excitedly, holding the lukewarm cup between her brittle hands. "We'll be eating as good as the Earth King soon. The Fire Nation will welcome us into the Upper Ring."

Beside her, Shan scolded her optimism. "You're a fool for thinking like that. Earth Kingdom doesn't want anything to do with us. Neither will the blasted Fire Nation. They'd rather send us into their factories than their palace. Our blood ain't pure enough for them. Just watch."

Lee kept his mouth shut, gritting his teeth once more when four of the customers asked for their tea to be reheated. Lee suspected one of the women could do it herself and save him the trouble of pacing back and forth to the kitchen like an armadillo-dog in a dead-end alley.

As long he had Mother and enough food, Lee didn't care which nation ruled him. He felt loyalty to neither.

In the late evening, when the sun set and the streets cleared –– more from fear than the late curfew –– Lee untied his stained apron and returned home to the small two room apartment he shared with his mother. Though the Fourth Quarter shops pretended nothing had happened during the daylight, crowds scampered into the safety of shelter, uncertain of a future under a black and scarlet flag.

When he opened the door, his mom rushed to hug him. She clung to his shoulders, far more upset than he expected.

Had something happened today at the herbalist stall were she worked? The threat of violence? Hate? An angry man? Prejudice against her eyes while the Fire Nation Invaded? His temper flared at the thought.

She laid her head against his, holding back tears that flowed freely early this afternoon. In the touch he felt her desperation, anxious and frightened beyond any he'd ever seen.

"Mom, what's wrong?" he asked, as she broke from the hug but still held onto his arm as if he would fade away when she let go.

She closed the front door quickly, pulling him deeper into the tiny room.

"Ba Sing Se has fallen," she whispered quickly." They are here, Lee, ready to burn and destroy. Everything has changed. We have to leave before they close the city."

She was terrified.

He had never seen her scared before.

Lee held few memories of their journey to the shelter of the Earth Kingdom capital. He was little and scared, told to hush as Mom wrapped her arms around him. The bandage over his eye rubbed painfully against the wound. She wouldn't let him take it off. Anything before –– their village or receiving his burn –– had been forgotten.

On the other hand, his mom remembered it all. Sometimes, when she didn't think Lee saw, she stared blankly into the wall, lost in her thoughts. Moments later her private horrors vanished and she composed herself. Lee wished she would tell him about their life before Ba Sing Se. He was sixteen years old. She didn't have to shield him anymore.

He had so many questions about their old home, his father, the attack that caused his burn, and their escape. All went unanswered no matter how many times or different ways he asked. Each time she gently murmured it was best he didn't know.

Clearly, the invasion stirred those barely buried emotions.

Lee felt a flame of rage roaring deep in his chest. Mother deserved to live in peace now.

"The soldiers aren't here any more," he reasoned, hoping to make her feel at ease. "The Fire Nation marched through to the Upper Ring. They aren't interested in us. The Lower Ring is safe until the Dai Li and Earth Kingdom Army aids the city."

For the first time the fear in his mother's eyes turned to anger. "That's what they want us to think! No one is coming. If they're here, it's too late. Who is going to build their machines of war and feed their troops? The nobility? No, Lee. The men and women of the Fire Nation believe their element is superior. They don't care about the Earth People. They have no ill about forcing the Lower Ring into servitude to suit their conquest. No one is safe."

There was no war in Ba Sing, but even the children of refugees, like Lee, who only remembered the safety of the Earth Kingdom capital, knew conflict existed beyond the walls. No one spoke of it openly. Until this morning, the rumors were said as spirit stories told to scare.

None of his mother's words were possible. They were … awful.

She saw his struggle to believe.

"Lee, you don't understand. You don't remember. We are at risk more than most." She gripped his shoulders, looking him straight in the eye, begging him to come to his senses. "They will kill you." Her fingers moved upward, lightly brushed against the rough, reddened side of his face as a reminder. Someone in the Fire Nation had already tried once. It seemed she wanted to say so much more, but stopped. "We'll leave in the morning. None of the ferries cross the bay this late at night. Pack now, then rest."

Lee wanted to object. Where would they go? Neither had managed to save enough silver coins to start over again, but he held his tongue and went to fill the knapsack he carried to market.

Maybe he could sneak over to the teashop to pick up this week's pay before they left.

* * *

Late into the night, Lee rolled onto the side, shielding himself from his mother's sight across the room.

Ever so gently, he opened his palm, willing fire to appear. A whispery, little flame rose. The light bounced off the wall with no more power than a candle.

Neither had much privacy in their small single room tenement. He knew Mom would be disappointed to see him practice bending if she woke up.

Lee stared into the pale yellow flame. It felt warm against his hand, familiar, but not painful. Slowly he closed his hand, extinguishing the light, only to open his hand and bring it back.

 _No firebenders live in Ba Sing Se. Do you understand, Lee?_

All day Lee ignored the fire deep in his chest, the part of his soul tied to his element. It felt, he imagined, like being struck by an earthbender's hammer, solid and bruising. The burning ache inside wouldn't go away, not until now when fire jumped so naturally to his hand.

He watched the flame flicker, casting shadows on the wall. It was beautiful. Lee wanted to greet the fire like familiar friend. How could anyone not see how its warmth and comforting? Instead he had been taught to treat it like an unpredictable stranger.

Lee's mind drifted to the Fire nation soldiers he saw earlier. Now there were other firebenders in the city. Real trained firebenders who never had to hide their bending. What if they could teach him?

Lee scolded himself for even hoping.

They were leaving in the morning. He extinguished the flame once more and tried to relax.

Sleep never came easily.

* * *

"Closed?"

Dread echoed through the stone walls of the city's transportation ticket office. It spread in an uneasy wave. Over one hundred of people must have been crowding the ticket booth, and another hundred more outside looking for a chance to escape the tightening grip of the Fire Nation.

"All outbound trips are closed to the public," the farmer standing beside Lee and his mother repeated sadly. Olive skin, a deep tan from working in the sun, coated his tough, wrinkled hands. "They ain't letting anyone through unless you got them Fire Nation passes. Do yah?" He seemed almost jealous when he saw Lee's mother's golden eyes.

He glanced to look at Lee's too, but quickly looked away.

"No," she answered stoically with the grace Lee had always known. Unlike last night.

While news rippled across the crowd, his mom turned casually toward Lee, "We'll have to find a different time to visit your uncle." She nodded toward the man, partially in gratitude and dismissal before they walked away.

 _Uncle?_ Lee thought. He had no uncle. They had no other family.

Minutes later as they followed the crowd of the ticket office out into the bright morning sunlight of the Lower Ring's Second Quarter, Lee felt his mother's hand rest on his arm. He felt it tremble, but her mask of calmness hid the panic well. The crowds inside the ticket office poured out around them in a violent wave.

All around people failed to hide their disappointment. Some cried. Families whispered. Others yelled obscene curses at the invading army.

As he watched, Lee understood his mother's ruse. Act normal. Pretend they weren't trying to escape. Don't let anyone see your despair.

Together they walked the familiar winding path back to the Fourth Quarter, passing various shops and stalls along the Second Quarter's crowded streets. The mid morning hour flooded with old men sitting atop crates like the Earth King on his throne and children dodging between people in their barefoot games.

Many wore beaded blue robes. Lee knew the people of water lived in the city, but he had never seen them before. Of course they lived along the Second Quarter's waterfront. They must make a living off fishing on the bay.

Blue banners hung proudly beside most of the doorways. Lee stopped walking, shocked by the sight of boys and girls practicing waterbending katas beside a fountain.

A familiar spark of jealousy tugged at Lee's chest.

They splashed and laughed freely, not even trying to hide their abilities.

It wasn't fair.

Lee looked away and caught up with his mother's stride before she noticed the glint of longing in his eye.

Blue gave way to green again as they passed further into the city.

He wanted to reassure his mom they were still safe. The Fire Nation hadn't come knocking on their door. After the initial fear went away, Lee was sure, the ferries out of the city would open again. The Fire Nation was keeping citizens from acting rashly.

Somehow he knew she wouldn't find that comforting.

"We'll find another way." His mother's words sounded cryptic, but meaningful. Lee didn't know if she had another plan yet or relied on optimism in the wake of her fear. How else could they leave Ba Sing Se?

Eventually they crossed under the Fourth Quarter's earthstone arch, Lee said goodbye and headed ten streets north until he saw from a distance the familiar dull green awning of the teashop. Unless the Fire Nation declared otherwise, they still needed money for rent. Lee headed to work, three hours late.

The building lay tucked between a textile shop full of moderately friendly weavers and their younger apprentices. Walking past the window, Lee often saw two young women, hair pulled back elegantly into buns and braids, standing beside their looms. He blushed thinking about their beauty, color tinting his good cheek. Each of their practiced movements looked like a dance, a bending art.

The girls fell from his mind as Lee stepped over the threshold of the teashop, noting three full tables and one very angry owner.

Jeng appeared in front of him as if spirit summoned. He glared at Lee, hissing under his breath about the city going mad after the invasion yesterday, and viciously threw an apron at the boy's head.

Quick reflexes caught the offending cloth, snapping it like a whip to his side. "I had a family emergency," Lee spat in irritation.

"You're lucky to still have a job," the owner barked, roughly brushing past him to speak to a regular patron. "Get in the back and start scrubbing."

Lee took a deep, irritated breath. Heat rose from his fists. He had no desire to wash cracked teacups, but stalked to the back of the shop anyway. Jeng was right. Dozens of people looking for work could have easily replaced him as a server. He didn't need to make his mother more upset by getting fired.

At least in the back he didn't have to deal with nosy customers.

Despite his frown, Jia Ming, the tea maker, smiled as she saw him enter the tiny kitchen area. Her small, but weathered frame hunched over a counter measuring different leaves and placing them in small piles. None of the leaves looked fresh or suitably aged –– just cheap.

"Finish these," She nodded the pile of cups sitting in lukewarm water beneath the pump. "You put Jeng in a fit this morning, making him cover for you."

Lee plunged his hands in the water, hiding both his annoyance and any steam rising from his fists by splashing.

"My mother needed me," he growled, though he knew it wasn't fair to take his impatience out on the older women. "I couldn't leave. The invasion … upset her."

Jia Ming nodded, sympathetic. "Understandably. Many carry painful memories."

She said no more on the subject, letting Lee clear his mind in the dull repetition of scrubbing and drying. Yet, the building frustration burrowing into his chest refused to leave.

After a few minutes the tea maker's easy chatter started again. She animatedly told stories about her pekinese-bunny, the old woman's favorite topic.

Lee let his mind drift –– he heard all the tales before. Still, he appreciated the well-intended distraction.

"Don't let Jeng bully you," she continued. Lee snapped back to attention at the change of topic. "He knows he needs another server, but of course he insists on doing all the work himself. He likes it, no matter what he says. If he could brew tea well, you know he'd do that too."

Lee nodded, finished wiping down the last of the cups. He began to stack them neatly on a shelf beneath the counter.

"We need more sugar. When the place quiets down can run to the Third Quarter's market? It gets a fair price there. Far better than here, spirits know. Then you can see that girlfriend of yours."

Lee's right cheek reddened in embarrassment. "She's not my girlfriend."

Girls didn't look at Lee. In fact, they tried very hard not to look at him. The scar he couldn't even remember getting covered a third of his face. In his reflection he saw the angry dead flesh twist from his nose to his ear, forcing the eyelid closed into a thin slit, but not enough to hide the nearly useless eye behind it.

Jia Ming hid her smile. "Don't let a little thing like that stop you from visiting her."

Nearly two hours later the teashop continued a steady stream of business without a lull of activity. After the invasion the discreteness of the teashop allowed all types a hushed words without fear of repercussion. Speculations drifted on half formed rumors.

His favorite included the noble tale of the Earth King luring the entire Fire Nation army inside the walls to slaughter them singlehandedly with earthbending. That and the one about the Fire Nation army being led to capital by a teenager girl. Yeah right.

Lee pocketed three copper coins from Jeng before heading to the Third Quarter for sugar. Still in a mood, the man grumbled it was more than enough for a large bag.

"Don't disappear again," he warned.

Lee resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

It took him a little over a half hour's walk before he entered the Third Quarter and the largest market in the Lower Ring. Street after street gave way to venders selling food, spices, rocks, clothes, leather, animals, and crafts made by the artisans in the First Quarter.

Unlike the Fourth Quarter, it had wide streets and alleys due to the sheer number of earthbenders densely packed into every available space. Green laundry strung between buildings waved like proud flags.

Strong, yet distant rumbles vibrated beneath his feet. Lee ducked his head and wove into the outdoor crowds until he found one of the half-dozen spice venders.

His jaw dropped at the price. "Four coppers!"

The man behind the counter shrugged in indifference. "Demand's high. Everyone's stocking up."

"But why?"

Than man in a green jade robe shrugged again dismissively. "The invasion. I Dunno. You want it or not?"

What kind of lazy reason was that? If the Third Quarter were charging this much he should have stayed in the Fourth Quarter. "I only have three coppers," Lee said bluntly.

"Price is four."

"Fine, then I'll go somewhere else." He turned and walked away back into the rhythm of the street, passing every type of booth and shop front possible. The Earthbenders loved their rocks. Lee couldn't fathom why anyone in their right mind would buy rocks, but stones of various sizes lined half the stalls. He was not surprised most of them were green.

The second spice vendor asked the same absurd price, making Lee bite his tongue to not say anything stupid to the woman's face.

At the third stall Lee gave up.

"You're not going to find a better deal." The old man explained, rolling two smooth black stones between his hands.

"Prove it," Lee tested. "What can I get for three coppers?"

The man looked him over once more; deciding any amount of money was better than none. "Not a full price, but we can make an arrangement." He put down the rocks.

The three coins rattled against the wooden stall counter while the old man scooped two loads of sugar into a sack before tying it.

Lee's good eye narrowed in annoyance. "That's half. I paid for three fourth of a bag."

The merchant gave him a fake ear splitting smile, wagging his finger toward the young man. "You're a smart one." He untied the knot and adding one last scoop.

The compliment went unappreciated as Lee waited until the sack was thrust in his arms.

As Lee turned to disappear back into the crowded street, a flash a green robes toppled into him, knocking Lee to the ground. He landed on his back and the boy that landed on top of him scrambled to get up, sharp elbows and knees poking painfully into his ribs and legs.

"Sorry," the kid muttered quickly ready to scamper away, not sorry at all.

"Watch it!" Lee snapped, sitting up and pulling the heavy sack of sugar toward him. Luckily, the knot at the top of the bag kept any from spilling. Jeng might actually fire him if he knew food this expensive was wasted in the street.

The kid looked over at Lee and froze as if he had been touched by a waterbender's icy grip, eyes widening in horror.

Lee stood and brushed of earthbent dust off as the kid started spewing apologies.

"Sorry!" he gushed, rambling quickly. "Honest, I didn't mean it," he laughed nervously. "Just playing. I'm sorry, really. Please don't hurt me! It didn't see you!"

Confusion forced Lee to look over at the little street rat cowering at the sight of his scar. No, not his scar, Lee realized. People looked away from the scar. The kid was staring at him, at his eyes. Golden Fire Nation eyes the same color as the soldiers that invaded.

A wave of heat rose from his core with anger. He was not one of them!

"Get out of here!" Lee snapped and the kid sprinted off.

With the urchin gone, Lee walked away, holding the bag tighter than necessary. He lowered his head, and wished his hair were short enough to pull in front of his face like a shield. The little buffoon couldn't see the difference between a soldier and citizen. He wore green like everyone else. What more did they want?

The flame in his chest crackled in a fit of sparks waiting to be released.

What if he did? Casting the fire in his palm would be as easy as picking up spark rocks. The idea teased images of him holding the flickering light without any rockbender looking at him twice, sending a thrill down his spine.

Even if the street reacted in fear, they would be watching him, recognizing, him. Respecting his element for the first time ever.

 _There are no firebenders in Ba Sing Se._

Not anymore.

He walked faster until he heard his name called out above the din of the outdoor market. There must be dozens of Lees in the lower ring, but he still turned to look.

"Lee!" The female voice called again excitedly.

Jin sat, waving him over from behind her family's vegetable stall. She stood, shielded her eyes from the afternoon sun, and beckoned him over again. For all the time he spent in the thirds quarter, Jin was the only one to ever talk to him.

At first he tried to ignore her, unsure about the attention. (Girls never looked at him without cringing. Why was she talking to him –– he just wanted vegetables.) Her friendliness persisted, smoothing away his awkward words and easing into a comfortable companionship whenever he found himself on this side of the city.

Jin's bright smile probably made her dozens of friends throughout the Lower Ring. More customers too.

"I thought I'd see you today, the entire city is here. It's great for business."

Sure enough, a few carrot-chokes and other plants remained, revealing most of the stand's the empty wooden frame. Bought by desperate and fearful hands. He hoped her family hadn't raised their prices too, but didn't blame them if they did.

"The city's going mad," he agreed less enthusiastically.

Jin nodded in agreement, eyes saying more than her mouth dared.

"Did you see them?" she whispered.

He knew whom she meant. "Yeah. "

"Me too. I made a delivery for Papa while he ran the stand. Everyone got quiet and separated into two sides like a fault line in the street. They just walked through the market, didn't take anything, didn't touch anyone," Jin's eyes swept across street before she leaned towards him to whisper. "The Di Li stood there and let them."

An uncontrolled shiver shot down Lee's spine.

The Fire Nation army was here only because Ba Sing Se's secret police opened the wall and _let them_ enter.

He also glanced around, checking for benders with green uniforms and cone hats.

For the first time since the invasion, a seed of fear rooted itself in his thought. No one said their names, much less spoke openly about the city's peace keepers.

He remembered his mother's clipped warning, "Treat them with respect. Don't ever look at them. Don't let them notice you." _There are no firebenders in Ba Sing Se. Do you understand, Lee?_

No. The Dai Li agents protected the city. They would never allow it to fall so easily. It was just a trap to lull the Fire Nation into security, the promise of cooperation. Then the Dai Li would strike. Silent as always when no one looked.

Jin read his concern. "Are you okay?"

He brushed aside the thoughts. Another customer approached the vegetable stand. "Yeah. I've got to get back to work. I'll see you later."

Because she was Jin, she understood.

"Here, take this." She handed him one of the last heads of ginger-broccoli and brushed off his refusal to take it because he didn't have any coins left. Rather than argue he tucked what he could fit into the pocket of his robe.

"Thanks."

She waved goodbye over the shoulder of the woman trying to haggle with her. Lee hefted the heavy sack of sugar and trudged back to the Fourth Quarter more paranoid than before.

As predicted, Jeng threw a fit over the price of sugar.

Lee ignored the rant –– it wasn't his fault the merchant's raised their prices –– and headed to the peace of the back kitchen.

Tension wound tight around his shoulders, like a coiled spring waiting to burst loose. The Fire Nation and Dai Li weren't about to run through the door. Why did he feel so anxious?

Jia Ming offered to make a blend of relaxing tea for him. It only made him more annoyed.

If the Fire Nation wanted to conquer Ba Sing Se, they should get it over with and let everyone move on with their day.

* * *

Two weeks later, Lee watched from behind the stained teashop window as dozens of soldiers in red uniforms march into the Fourth Quarter again. This time they don't leave.


	2. Bager-Frogs in Frying Pans

**Invasion**

 **Chapter Two**

Oddly, nothing changed a week after the Fire Nation soldiers moved into the Lower Ring's Fourth Quarter. No chaos, no slaughter, or any official decrees forcing residents to bow in the name of the Firelord.

The soldiers (The Fire Nation had female soldiers! What kind of people would force their women to fight?) lived somewhere in the shabby housing units near the inner wall, which separated the city from the endless fields that supplied the capitol.

During the day Lee watched carefully as they patrolled the streets in units of five or more, like the local police. He kept his head down and voice silent, unassuming, as they passed. But the red soldiers never looked his way. Though he headed his mom's warning to stay unnoticed , which felt silly –– none of them had yet to firebend; they were probably all nonbenders –– his good eye still followed their presence cautiously.

When Lee was exhausted and his apron splattered with tea and drying soap, he thought he caught a flash of gold trim out of the corner of his eyes as if he expected it to be there, only to look again and see only read and black.

Sometimes, if he closed his eyes, it was as if the soldiers would just disappear too.

Lee hated to say, but life was ... normal.

The teashop buzzed with activity in the midmorning as the sun rose over the great stone walls. By now gossip about the soldiers' arrival died, giving way to the more familiar topics in the teashop. Teng and Tai Lao went on and on, calmly discussing the dowry for their children's wedding. Relaxed postures spoke of years of far friendship. Tai Lao's offer was far too fair, Lee thought, but he bit his tongue and served their oolong with a fresh pastry. Lan Zou complained to Jeng about her neighbors. Their crying infant kept her up half the night and they left their trash outside their door until it smelled foul in the late spring heat. The owner nodded with insincere sympathy.

Lee recognized many of the patrons as regulars.

Liew, whose husband ran the herbalist shop where his mom worked smiled kindly to Lee, as always, and asked about his mother's health.

"Better." Even to him the lie sounded too stiff to be true.

His mom refused the apartment since they tried to leave the city. Each morning she locked the door and drew the shutters closed until only thin beams of sunlight slipped through the cracks. If she could block out those too, she would.

Nothing Lee said helped coax her out of the apartment.

He knew Liew and her husband genuinely cared about his mom in a way Jeng never would care about him. To Lee's luck, the older woman played along, but the look in her eyes spoke of the pity that didn't reach her lips. "I'm glad to hear. A few days rest will do her good. Do you think she'd mind if I came to visit?"

He nodded curtly, eager to change the topic. "She'd like that. What can I get you? "

The rest of the morning passed steady. Around midday the teashop closed until the afternoon crowd arrived. Lee split the tips with Jia Ming –– listening to the stories about her Pekinese-bunny –– wiped down the last of the tables, and threw his apron in the kitchen before heading outside.

The sun warmed his skin instantly as the city street assaulted the rest of Lee's senses. Loud chatter and distant shouts carried across the block. Ostrich-horses pulled wooden carts full of overripe food, rocks, squealing pig-chickens, half broken furniture and other knick-knacks between the regular foot traffic. Children ran barefoot, saving their shoes for cooler weather.

Their nimble feet sidestepped animal waste, splashed in puddles, and jumped over trash piles with ease. Lee remembered being that young. He and the other nonbenders pretended their dirt stained ankles made them earthbenders. He spent hours mimicking bending forms. When Mom thought he was old enough for shoes at twelve, he wore the thin leather proudly and left the little kids to their games.

Occasionally vibrations caused by an earthbender rumbled through the street, but not as often as in the other quarters. The sweet scent of the teashop faded as Lee moved further into the stink of people and animals crowded too close together.

The idea of skipping his lunch and pocketing the money it saved tempted Lee more than he cared to admit. Since Mom stopped working, no matter how small, the extra copper pieces helped pay rent.

As Lee turned the corner, the thought of lunch was abandoned. A large crowd gathered around the newest announcement hanging from the notice stand in the middle of the square. Even from a distance, Lee saw the gold border and red Fire Nation Symbol in the center.

A young woman in the front read the poster for those who couldn't read or see it from afar.

Her voice carried across the crowd steadily, pausing long enough to understand the words and hesitantly wrap her tongue around the foreign names before continuing.

"By official decree from the Fire Palace and Dragon Throne, Princess Azula of Fire Nation has conquered the Earth Kingdom capital Ba Sing Se in the name of Fire Lord Ozai. The Fire Nation now controls the city under the leadership of the Fire Princess until further notice. All laws and ordinances created hereafter by the Fire Lord or any standing officials are to be followed under penalty of imprisonment or death. Disobedience of any form will be punished as seen fit by Fire Nation city officials or member of the military."

The girl reading paused for a moment before stumbling over the last words in a much smaller voice.

"All hail the Fire Nation."

From the bottom of the document, the Fire Lord's seal glared in bright red ink mocking the people he now called his citizens.

Mixed reactions among the crowd ranged from anger, confusion, and indifference. Whispered questions turned into discussion as voices rose. No one had answers.

 _So it begins._

Lee pushed away the nagging doubt in the back of his mind.

No. Mom overreacted the day of the invasion and looked what happened. Nothing.

And now? The announcement wasn't a big deal; nothing changed. That paper didn't tell anything new, anything that the city didn't already know.

His gaze jumped from the fire insignia down toward the Fire Lord's signature.

Except now … the invasion felt real.

Somewhere across the world the leader of the Fire Nation signed this decree. The Fire Lord –– not a very grand title, Lee thought as he made his way out of the crowd gathered shoulder to shoulder. Here in the Earth Kingdom lords were low nobility. No one bragged about being a lord.

How was Ba Sing Se supposed to take the Fire Lord seriously?

Two streets later, and half an hour until he was supposed to return to the tea shop, Lee wandered toward a few vending carts hoping to find something quick to eat. A small cherry-apple or pear-peach maybe. The alternative was to buy a meal (not an option) or go home to cook. Not an option either. He dreaded telling Mom about the decree.

She wanted him to keep her informed, as much as the news pained her. Lee could simply not tell her. The idea appealed to him. It's not like she could find out another way. But the thought of lying to her made his stomach twist uncomfortably in a way that had nothing to do with hunger. News of the Fire Nation was too important to lie about.

From a distance the produce looked good, not too overripe. He could spare the coins.

Shouting interrupted Lee's thoughts. He turned quickly, fruit forgotten. Immediately, his good eye landed on three red soldiers, but none of them caused the commotion. They walked peacefully as a man nearby yelled.

"Get out of here, fire filth!"

No one had spoken to the soldiers, much less insulted the invading army since it entered the city.

Lee and the other onlookers held their breath.

And the soldiers did … nothing. They kept walking, eyes trained forward. Everyone on the street moved aside, giving a wide berth from fear or hatred to let them pass. One man stepped forward, blocking their path.

He stood tall, the sleeve of tattered his green robe shaking with the force of clenched fists as he struggled to contain his rage. Yet, his voice lowered to a hiss as the closer the soldiers came.

"Your hearts are as black as the ashes you leave behind. Every place you go is smeared with blood and char. Murderers!" An accusing finger pointed their way. "That's the color of death! It follows ––"

Before the last word finished leaving his mouth, the middle of the three soldiers stepped forward gracefully and swept the man's leg from beneath him. He fell hard to the ground with a thud.

Without pause, the earth trembled, but the Fire Nation soldiers dodged flying rocks with ease. Left and right, even spinning out of the way. The three soldiers used the momentum to their advantage. Before another stone flew, a fire whip lashed out toward the crowd.

Gasps and screams pierced the silence.

Orange flames grew bright and hot. Lee watched it rise, memorized. The other two firebenders threw a series of quick punches that threw fireballs at the earthbender –– a ragged teenaged girl . She scurried backward to avoid the fire, tripping over the feet of the people behind her.

The arc of fire neatly faded before reaching the people, leaving a flash of heat that pushed the crowd back.

Another sharp kick of fire pushed the crowd back even farther.

No one stopped the soldiers as they seized both the girl and man. The two were hauled roughly to their feet and disappeared with the firebenders down the street as quickly as the disturbance took place. Blank faces watched wondering if they imagined the entire scene.

Then, the street returned to normal, only with more whispers.

Lee started to hate the sound of buzzing voices.

He turned and fled from both the direction of the crowd and soldiers. His feet carried him as far and fast as possible as his heart raced. Yet, the image of fire still burned bright in his mind's eye.

It was … it was … everything! Beautiful, shocking, familiar, frightening. Never had he seen real firebending, not like that. The benders moved with their element, precise and coordinated. Dangerous though. Of course, but equally warm and welcoming.

By the time he returned to the teashop, Lee's stomach rumbled with forgotten hunger. If Jeng kept busy in the front of the teahouse, he could swipe two small pastries without being caught. Maybe three, though they wouldn't keep him full for long.

Heck, Jia Ming would probably hand the sweets to Lee herself and take Jeng's scolding. Jeng would probably dock both their pay, even though she always baked extra.

Quickly, customers returned and gossip replaced the morning's meaningless chatter.

A small growl of frustration escaped from behind his lips as he swept afternoon dust back onto the street, trying to ignore everyone's fear. A sweet roll hid heavily in his apron pocket beside a dishrag.

There was no reason to panic, even if firebenders were in Ba Sing Se. Those two idiots that got arrested had it coming. What did they think would happen by attacking the soldiers –– that the Fire Nation would apologize and leave the city?

Those firebenders didn't hurt anyone. The fire was just used to scare the crowd and stop the earthbender's assault.

Lee swept the last of the dirt off the teashop's steps before peeking through the door and fishing the food out of his pocket for a bite.

* * *

The door was locked. Of course, it had been locked everyday for the past week, and would probably stay that way as long as the Fire Nation occupied the city.

"Mom." Lee knocked on the door, trying to keep any impatience out of his voice. He was hungry and tired. Tired of standing all day, tired of hearing rumors and whispers, and tired of being locked out of his own home everyday.

"Mom."

The front door opened long enough for Lee to slip inside before the lock clicked into place behind him. Again.

He kicked off his shoes and sat down at the table beside the room's only window. It just showed an unimpressive view of the neighboring building, but access to fresh air made their home feel larger, less stuffy. Except now the closed shutters made the room small. And smelly.

Lee didn't know how his mom stayed in here day after day without going crazy.

If the scattered plants and bowls of crushed paste throughout the room were any indication, she kept busy. Without the window open, their strong, mostly bitter scents filled the apartment. The bowl to Lee's right smelled sweet enough to make him question if it was food rather than medicine. He pushed it aside; through he hadn't been clumsy enough to knock a bowl over in years. Whatever it was, it was probably too valuable to waste.

"Did you have a good day?"

Not really, but he didn't really want to talk about it.

Lee dodged the question. "Liew came in today. She said she missed you and might come over sometime, if you don't mind," he added carefully.

"No, that's thoughtful of her." Mom smiled and started to move the bowls from the table to give him more space. Without any other furniture to hold them they ended up on the floor, lined along the wall by his mother's bed. "If she's not too busy she can drop by for tea. I won't charge her for it. Then she can take some of these."

"Good. We won't have to eat out of my hands anymore," he mumbled.

The tease fell flat, but his mom rolled her eyes and handed him the sweet smelling bowl. It was filled with plum-pears. "Stop. There's still a dish for each of us. I'm just making more than usual. Stocking up never hurt anyone."

Lee poked at the plum-pears with his chopsticks. "Will she pay you … for these?"

His mother's smile faded and concern returned to her eyes. "Yes. And you don't need to worry about money. That's not your job, Lee. "

"But Mom ––"

"It's not. Don't think I haven't noticed how hard you've been working lately. We don't have a lot, but we're fine. I'm not working, but I'm not sitting idle either. Selling the medicines will get us through the week."

"Why can't you go work?" he prompted earnestly. "It would be easier."

"Lee," she warned.

The familiar tone made his jaw snap shut, like he was a child being scolded after begging for sweets again. But this was vastly different. He wasn't a child any more. He could help carry her burdens if she just let him.

Lee spoke honestly meeting her gaze. "It's safe. The Fire nation hasn't done anything. I go out there everyday."

His mother opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again, thinking. The bowl about to pick up went forgotten. Maybe she heard him. Maybe, just maybe she knew he wasn't a child anymore either.

Calmly, his mom pulled the rickety chair away from the table and sat across from him.

"There is a reason we live in Ba Sing Se, Lee. The Fourth Quarter is rundown and poor, but we're safe here –– safer than anywhere else in the world. You don't need to know what brought us here." His mom held up a hand cutting off the protest before it even left his lips. "Only that when you were little someone tried to hurt you. I protected you and that made the Fire Nation very angry."

Hunger forgotten, Lee listened attentively, eager to learn anything about their past.

"Mom, that was over ten years ago. No one will remember."

"You were so young. The soldiers won't recognize you now, but they might still be looking for me. Every few years old wanted posters are recirculated. It's unlikely I've been completely forgotten."

The words rolled around inside Lee's head, coming to a sharp standstill. "What happens if they find us?"

"They won't," she deflected. "We'll find a way out."

"Mom. What would happen?"

"If they found us we'd be sent to the Fire Nation for trial –– a short trial before execution. Do you understand why I'm scared, Lee? They will kill us. Promise me you will be careful."

He nodded, processing his mother's words, but not truly understanding them. How could he? He had never seen anyone punished for treason.

"Did anything else happen today?"

The events of the afternoon flashed through Lee's mind. _The decree. The arrests. Real firebending._

Lee's tongue suddenly felt a lot heavier with the news "An announcement was posted in the square about the Fire Nation controlling of the city."

He regretted telling her as soon as he said the words.

She paled visibly in fear before trying to regain a neutral expression, before whispering as if the red soldiers were already at their door. "What did it say?"

Lee hadn't even told this mom about the arrests yet.

She didn't need to know. Not yet. Not now.

"I don't remember." After witnessing the earthbender's arrest, the display of firebending the details of the decree had been forgotten. It had been no more important than hiding several pastries in his apron pocket. "The army has control of the city. That's it."

"Did it say who's now leading the city? A name? A title?"

"Uh…" he thought hard. What did it matter who now led the city?

"Lee, this is important," his mother urged, "Can you remember?"

"Their princess. I think it said the fire princess. I don't know, I remember her name."

"Azula," she whispered. The fear in his mother's eyes became confusion. "The princess? But she's too young to be part of the war."

Lee shrugged. He only knew about the Earth Kingdom's royal family. And speaking of, where was the Earth King if the Fire Nation princess now ruled Ba Sing Se? Somewhere safe he hoped.

At last, his mother stood. "Go get cleaned up, we can eat dinner."

Lee wanted to protest that she already offered him bowl of food; no need to clean up to eat. But conversation was clearly over. She started to move the dishes around their apartment again, leaving him to sit with the bowl of mashed plum-pears.

He didn't get up and she was too distracted to notice.

* * *

A week later, Lee walked through the Lower Ring's Fourth Quarter on the way to the Third Quarter's market with a bag slung over his shoulder and a list of supplies from Jeng in hand. The coins were tucked safely into his inner pocket, bouncing against his ribs with each step.

"Get what you can," Jeng advised. The owner's sour pinched expression mirrored the financial pinch felt by the entire Quarter. Prices for basic goods had yet to fall since the invasion putting more stress on everyone.

Looking ahead, Lee saw people gathering under the arch –– the small crowd appeared to be waiting for something. From a distance he couldn't tell if the people were a real threat (thugs armed with weapons or bending), or just an inconvenience of idiots standing in the middle of the road. As he got closer, Lee saw the reason for the hold up was a little of both.

Two Fire Nation soldiers guarded the arch.

Lee watched with uncertainty as the soldiers stopped was a young woman with an infant swaddled against her chest. They searched her belongings quickly and to satisfaction before handing her bag back? What were they looking for? The mother paled visibly as the members of red army spoke to her. But they waved her through and repeated the process.

His mother's warning to stay out of sight echoed through his head just enough to make Lee reconsider crossing the arch. " _They will kill us… they already tried once… you were so young, they may not remember you. Promise me you will be careful, Lee."_

Whatever she had done was over ten years ago in some forgotten village. No one, much less these two Fire Nation soldiers standing at the gate remembered, he was sure of it.

And Jeng would kill him if he came back without any supplies.

Lee joined the crowd inching toward the arch.

The wait wasn't long, but Lee still didn't like the idea of being scrutinized by the soldiers.

When his turn came, Lee handed his empty sack over as one of the soldiers grabbed for it. The other plucked the shopping list from his hands and scanned it with disapproving eyes.

"What business you got in over there, kid?" The second soldier asked, while the other opened his bag.

"The market," Lee answered simply, trying to meet the man's copper eyes without looking suspicious.

"Personal or business?"

Why did it matter? "Business … for the tea shop," he said flatly, as the uneasiness around the Fire Nation soldiers turned into annoyance.

After finding the bag empty, the guard handed it over. "Orders directly from the her majesty in the palace, no written communications between sections of the city at this time. You got this memorized?"

Lee's good eye widen in astonishment. "No." Of course not. It was a dumb list that was more or less the same week to week. He hadn't even read it yet.

"Too bad." Flames licked at the edges of the paper, flaring to life as the red soldier dropped it to the ground where the list now lay as ashes.

Lee watched in horror, brain finally catching up to his eyes. The fire was not majestic this time. It was fast, hungry, and merciless. "I needed that!" he protested, snapping his mouth shuts before he could stop himself.

 _Oh spirits. Don't make them angry!_

The soldiers didn't care, already moving onto the next in line. "Go before we change our mind, kid."

Angry, Lee hurried across into the Third Quarter. Two more of the invading army guarded this side as well.

In the market Lee found more or less of what he needed. He spent an hour searching for the best prices, haggling down whenever possible. Soon enough the bag hanging from his right shoulder held the usual tea leaves, flour for baking, honey, and sugar –– half the amount he normally bought. Butter and eggs would have to wait to be bought later. The coins Jeng gave him ran out too quickly.

Despite the price hikes, the market carried on business as usual as if it had yet to feel the Fire Nation's burning touch. Lee didn't see any of the red army wondering the street. Here, the Earthbending children played. Men and women laughed in easy conversation as he passed them.

Everything felt normal.

And even for just a little while it felt good to forget about the invasion. The Third Quarter still looked untounched, though he suspected the Dai Li were better hidden than the Fire Nation soldiers occupying the Fourth Quarter.

Lee turned down the street of Jin's market stall, but didn't see her behind the booth. Instead a man in green he could only guess was her father chatted to some buyers.

Someone tapped on Lee's shoulder right as he was about to leave.

"Lee? Is that you?" a familiar feminine voice asked.

Sure enough, he turned to find Jin. Her dark hair was braided loosely into two long pigtails as usual, but various strands had come loose, messily framing her face. Multicolored stains of spirits-knew-what splattered the front of her green robe. Despite being disheveled and dirty, she seemed happy to see him.

"I thought that was you, but you'd be surprised how many people look alike." She pointed to his bag. "Are you done shopping?"

"Yeah. Um, are you … okay?" Lee asked confused, but curious.

Her eyes lit up as Jin laughed. "Oh this? It's nothing; I played with my nephew this morning."

Genuinely, he didn't understand how that led to the disaster in front of him, but dismissed his confusion. Really he shouldn't be surprised, as being colorfully messy seemed exactly like something Jin would do in her free time.

They walked together down the street. She led and he followed. "I wish I could spend more time with you Lee, but I have to change before this dries. I'm really glad I found you. Have you been to the new zoo yet?"

Oh yeah, there was a new one wasn't there? His mom took him to see it when he was younger. The animals didn't do much and were hard to see in their cages, but it was fun. Back then he'd been excited to see the animals. And yeah, now that he was older he knew that zoo was really pathetic. Like everything in the Lower Ring it was crowded and dirty. Those poor animals…

"The one the avatar built? Not yet."

Jin smiled brightly and stopped in front of one of the buildings along the street. Lee stopped too. "Do you want to go with me? I heard it's really nice! My friends, Ren and Zheng are coming too, but I thought you might like to go?

That actually sounded really nice. "Um yeah."

"Okay, great! We're going in two days. Meet us by the He Ru statue in the afternoon. Do you know where that is?

"Yeah." Mentally he mapped the route. It wasn't hard to get to.

"I can't wait. See you then, Lee." Jin hugged him in excitement before running inside.

Lee froze in shock. She had … hugged him? What did he just agree to?

* * *

Two days later, Lee walked toward the arch between the quarters, giving himself enough time to get past the Fire Nation soldier's inspection. He put in overtime at the teashop last night and already agreed to do the same tomorrow.

Cheng scowled and growled something about commitment. He was still angry the shopping list was destroyed before Lee read it. Very few of the items on the list had actually been purchased, despite lee's best guess.

Eventually the grumpy owner gave in to Jia Ming's pestering.

"Give the boy an afternoon. He does enough for you. Besides, he's going to spend it with his girlfriend."

Lee felt the tips of his ears redden in embarrassment. Jeng looked at him as if noticing for the first time Lee was a person with a life outside the teashop and not an obedient goat-mule. "She's not my girlfriend."

Jeng laughed. Jia Ming smiled. The embarrassment earned Lee his free afternoon.

Even Mom was happy he was meeting a friend. (He didn't have the courage to explain this friend was a girl.)

He had never spent time with Jin outside the market. They talked enough that he always made sure to find her. Lee liked her friendliness and honesty.

The worry of being hopelessly awkward in front of Jin and other pretty girls crossed his mind several times. What if he made a fool of himself?

He washed his clothes last night, making sure he'd look as nice as possible for Jin.

He'd be fine –– this wasn't a date. This was Jin. Friendly, funny, sincerely sweet Jin. She didn't care he had a scar or gold eyes and lived in the Fourth Quarter. The zoo would be fun. He bet she loved all the fluffy animals.

As Lee reached the arch separating the quarters, a nagging uneasiness came over him. Something didn't feel right. There were too few people trying to cross. Two days ago a crowd gathered, waiting for inspection by the red army.

Now, the street was too empty.

Lee moved closer to the buildings along the street, blending in until he was close enough to clearly see the arch from the street corner.

Any thought of seeing Jin and the new zoo sunk instantly.

Two Fire nation soldiers stood in front of the arch. They shooed anyone that came close. Behind the soldiers, a heavy metal gate blocked the entrance. A sign hung from the bars stated, "No Passage" in bold black characters.

 _No, no, no!_ _This wasn't happening?_ Jin was waiting for him. She'd think he didn't want to go to the zoo with her. It wasn't his fault; it was the Fire Nation's.

Since the invasion everything had changed.

Lee ran home.

* * *

 _ **Author Note:** This story is alive and multichapter!_

 _I'm really curious what you thought of this chapter._ _ _For real, I want to know what you thought._ What interested you? What do you want to see happen in this alternate universe? What was boring or out of character? Are you half as interested in the economic disparity in Ba Sing Se as I am? Tell me what you think should happen next in this story, where you want to see it go. There is some wiggle room in this plot and I'd love to include an interesting suggestion.  
_

 _Constructive criticism is appreciated._ _Thanks for the great reviews on the first chapter!_

 _-Pen 'n Notebook_


	3. To Hell in a Broken Handbasket

_Author's Note:_ If someone wants to be a betta reader and help me edit/clean up this story and all the themes/ideas inside it, let me know. That would be awesome.

* * *

 **Invasion**

 **Chapter Three**

* * *

Trivia for trivia's sake:

-Lee's name is spelled as Lee and not Li only because I forgot to change the spelling right before publishing the first chapter.

\- Jin represents the average person in the Lower Ring. She's not a scholar or part of a secret resistance, like she's portrayed in other stories. Here she's grown up without the war, uneducated due to her social standing, but sweet and hardworking. And this portrayal is so important because she doesn't need higher education to make her lovable.

\- The owner of the teashop's name (Jeng) changes from chapter to chapter in each draft because I cannot remember how to spell it.

\- This chapter took so long to write because I got married after a long year of planning! Yay!

\- This story is an excuse for me to describe daily life in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se.

-The pace of this story is slow because it's going for realism (as much as possible).

\- Emotionally this story is really hard to write. The characters are constantly afraid and worried about their safety (and the worst is yet to come next chapter). If you want a real Halloween scare think about the consequences of war. How bad can their lives get after the invasion –– Lee's about to find out.

-Azula will make an appearance … as will the Blue Spirit.

* * *

The thick iron gate between the between the third and fourth quarters remained shut a week later.

Since it closed, few citizens tried to pass through it and all were rejected. Lee kept his distance.

News and gossip passed through the tea shop by word of mouth long before the Fire Nation occupied the city. Lee tuned out most of the noise with practiced ease, but after the invasion he started to pay attention again.

Customers at the tea shop whispered a lot. Whether he wanted to or not, Lee knew more about their private lives than he cared to remember. Sure, it helped to make casual conversation (How's the shop/business/family?), and earn better tips (not lately, but times were tough). Most importantly the customers knew what was happening in the city.

Listening to the conversation between tea drinkers, Lee learned about the new sunset curfew ordered by the Fire Nation long before he stepped outside to read the official decree.

He learned all the shops were struggling without contact from the Third and First Quarters, not just the tea shop. While Lee appreciated the solidarity, the news wasn't comforting. The Fourth Quarter relied on the majority of supplies imported from the other, much larger quarters. Without those supplies –– food, artisan goods, wood, stone, clay, and money –– everyone suffered.

Lee also learned that the gate only opened for Fire Nation. (Real Fire Nation, someone amended with a dark humor, such as the military and royal brigade, should her highness the princess ever chose to enter their lowly part of the world.)

Same went for the other gate erected on the far side between the Fourth and First Quarters. It was locked too.

Until further notice everyone inside the Fourth Quarter was stuck.

The new curfew only added to Lee's frustration. Each evening he scurried home before sunset, unable to run any errand he and his mother needed taken care of while his mom locked herself inside their apartment.

He had spent most of his life here in the Fourth Quarter. He grew up familiar with the dirty streets and broken buildings. While living there hadn't always been pleasant, that section of the Lower Ring hadn't been bad either. It was safe enough, comfortable in a way that may not look like it at a glance.

Living in the Fourth Quarter was a lot safer than outside the walls where people lit little boy's faces on fire.

Realistically, Lee knew if the invasion never happened, he would have stayed in Ba Sing Se for the rest of his life without thinking twice, but now the thought of being trapped made him uneasy. What was happening to the rest of the Lower Ring? Was it locked down too?

Before the invasion, Lee knew marrying into an Earth family was his only chance to escape into another quarter. It was possible, but not likely. Now leaving the Fourth Quarter wasn't even an option. Thanks to the Fire Nation he would spend the rest of his life imprisoned in the worst section of the city serving tea.

…Tea that just splashed over the rim of the cup onto his hand. Damn!

Lee set the tea down in front of the customer quickly (splashing several more drops on the table) to shake off the hot water, but the damage had been done. The pale skin on the back of his hand turned a faint pink.

"Sorry about that," Lee said quietly to man whose tea he spilled.

To his luck, the tea shop's owner, Jeng, was on the other side of the room engrossed in conversation with another customer. Lee pulled the rag from his apron pocket to wipe up the mess.

The tea shop had been loosing business slowly but steadily since the gate closed. Money was tighter for everyone. The regular customers still came, just fewer bought tea or treats as they socialized.

Despite the decline, Lee's work in the tea shop remained more or less the same day to day. Sweep, serve tea, wash teacups, wipe tables, avoid or ignore Jeng, sweep again, count change, split tips, and take inventory. When Lee stayed behind the brewing counter, Jia Ming told him stories about her pekinese-bunny. Last night the older woman had been teaching it to dance. So far the little thing could only stand up on her rear legs and jump, but Jia Ming proudly announced that was an improvement.

Without access to the Third Quarter market, Lee had been forced to buy from the local Fourth Quarter market this week. It was … not ideal. Supplies were limited. The tea leaves were twice the price for half the value and quarter of a variety than the ones found in the Third Quarter.

Needless to say, Jeng showed his displeasure by taking the difference from Lee's and Jia Ming's weekly pay.

"If there's no customers you won't be paid at all," the owner hissed.

Lee cleaned the spilled tea with one skilled swipe of his rag across the table. He headed for the counter as Jeng stood and walked his guest to the door. The two said goodbye and Jeng headed back into the tea shop calling for Lee.

Great.

Hearing his name, Lee turned from his place at the sink to see what Jeng wanted. His boss motioned him over to the other side of the room. More curious than annoyed, Lee obeyed.

Jeng pulled him aside next to the window to speak privately.

Lee bit his tongue, about to say whatever supplies they lacked now wasn't his fault, but kept silent. Much to his surprise, the owner had another request.

"I need you to run an errand. People are saying the Third Quarter gate is opening again for people with certain passes. Go buy one from the soldiers and bring it back, we're loosing money purchasing from the local suppliers."

Lee nodded, thinking. A way into the rest of the city gave him options. He wouldn't be trapped any more. Lee could see Jin again. He could get Mom out of the Fourth Quarter to somewhere she felt safer.

"Where are they?"

The soldiers have a station on Pihi Street. Look for their red banners, you won't miss it."

With a small purse of Jeng's coins tucked safely in the inner pocket of his robe Lee headed across the Fourth Quarter.

Though the Lower Ring was divided into four sections, Lee learned at an early age none of them were equal in size. The Second Quarter, easily the biggest from the rail-line maps Lee had seen, had three times as much land as the Fourth Quarter, the smallest of all. In a full day Lee could easily travel to the opposite side of the Fourth Quarter on foot. It wasn't possible get move across the other quarters without using the eathbending rail system.

Word of mouth said the Fourth Quarter was once part of the First Quarter, before the Lower Ring sectioned itself into neighborhoods. People from the other nations entered the city and just sort of stayed near the port entrances. Of course neither earth or water wanted to be associated with people of fire during the war (there was no war in Ba Sing –– until there was), and people like Lee were ultimately forced into their own neighborhood.

Once, an old earthbender ranted that the city was going to the lion-dogs for ever letting the other nations into the Earth Kingdom capital. His words were hateful. The man's voice, sharp and deep, cut into Lee as if the earthbender had thrown shards of stone at him instead of words.

Lee remembered the embarrassment that burned on his healthy cheek, and the anger he felt as he fled. Those words followed him even if the earthbender didn't.

It was one of the few events he kept secret from Mom.

Quickly, he learned to be weary of old earthbenders and actively avoided anyone wearing too much green.

Now as he walked through the city, no one he observed looked particularly distressed. A few Fire Nation soldiers patrolled the streets as usual, giving the people a wide berth. Any worry by their presence had been replaced by more immediate daily routines.

He wished Mom would go back to work. She would feel better going outside and seeing how normal everyone still acted.

Pihi Street was less of an actual street and more of a widened alley connecting two parallel streets. Like most of the Lower Ring, every inch of valuable space had been converted into something useful. The buildings on Pihi were no exception.

Surely the Fire Nation could have taken any building it wanted –– something a little bigger, maybe more centrally located.

Other than the red and b lack banners hanging from the roof, the building had not been painted red or showed any outward sign it had been taken over by the Fire Nation. The building looked as worn as when it belonged to the Earth Kingdom. The wood at the base of the outer wall fell to the ground with age and the hinges of the door shrieked in protest.

Lee questioned the invading army's choice, as he entered.

Everything was red. Used to green, yellow, and brown tones, it assaulted his eyes. A chill ran through his gut at the wrongness of the color as he stared at a flag on the wall and all it stood for.

Lee hesitated, unsure if he were allowed inside.

Though the building wasn't wide, it was deep. He saw a small line of regular people (wearing patched green and brown robes just like himself) waiting to speak to one of two officers behind a counter.

As he stood in line, it occurred to him that Mom would have a heart attack if she knew he gone near the building, much less in it. But if he got the pass she would have forgive him for drawing attention to their family. This pass could be their ticket out.

When it was finally his turn, Lee stood in front of a rushed looking official, an abnormally tall woman waiting to hear his request.

Lee had never spoken to the Fire Nation invaders. Her eyes burned a bright copper color.

His mother owned a small hand mirror, and though the edges of it rusted with age, Lee looked into it enough to know his own eyes were gold, just like Mom's.

"I need a pass to cross the gate into the Third Quarter."

Most people avoided looking directly at the healed scar over his eye, and this woman was no exception. She kept her gaze at his chest.

"You got a signature from General Shu?"

Of course not. He shook his head.

The Fire Nation woman sighed. "Passes are only given to civilians working for the army, the Fire Nation army," she clarified. "If you are interested in that line of work –– there are always civilian positions available –– fill out this paper, leave it with us, and come back in three days. Filling this out does not guarantee a job nor a pass into the rest of he city. Any questions?"

Lee shook his head, dismayed, and took the paper. He had no intention to fill it out, but thought better than to risk the Fire Nation's annoyance.

As soon as he stepped outside he crumpled it before shoving the paper in a pocket.

One job was bad enough, he didn't need another one. Especially not from the Fire Nation.

He turned back toward the tea shop preparing for Jeng's lecture. The man would be angry he hadn't gotten the pass. Lee was angry he didn't get the pass.

He kicked idly at trash as he walked.

On the other side of the gate, Jin must have been thinking he stood her up, or worse, knew he couldn't see her and worried. He and Mom were stuck inside the Fourth Quarter hiding in plain sight.

This whole trip was a waste of time. He failed to get the pass; and he was still stuck inside the gate.

Jeng would be furious when he found out. Mom on the other hand didn't need to know.

* * *

The next morning Lee woke up to the sound of rain drumming against the wooden building. The wet season may be good for the fields between the city's outer and inner ring, but it just made a mess of the city.

The water soaked through the walls and roof of the apartment leaving everything _damp._ Leaks dripped steadily onto the floorboards of their top floor residence. Lee avoided the wet areas with familiar practice. Only, this time, his mom hadn't bothered trying to catch the water. The bowls –– all six if them; wait, No, there were eight now. (Where did the extra come from?) –– were filled with her mixture of medicines, leaving nothing to catch the water.

Lee wrinkled his nose at the pungent smell as he walked through sloppy streets. Puddles pooled in tracks left by cart wheels and the city smelled more foul than fresh. Even the air was thick with heaviness that had nothing to do with the rain pelting his shoulders. Lee expected everyone to be in a sour mood at the teashop.

Sure enough, Jeng pitched a fit yesterday when Lee returned empty handed without the Fire Nation army's pass into the Third Quarter. This morning Lee grit his teeth and ignored his boss as much as possible –– hard to do in the small tea shop.

But by now Jeng seemed over the disappointment. Distracted was a more accurate description, since the teashop owner nodded in acknowledgement when Lee first walked in, and hadn't looked at him since. Jeng spent the majority of the morning sitting with customers, postures stiff as their heads bent close together whispering.

Lee didn't care what the owner heard as long as the current discussion didn't send him back into the hands of the Fire Nation soldiers.

In fact, everyone whispered, much to Lee's annoyance. The room was quiet, too quiet compared to the usual chatter between friends and neighbors. Usually, News and gossip flowed as naturally as tea and conversation.

The walls protected the secrets spoken inside from judgment and wandering eyes. Lee glanced around looking for a red soldier, but only saw familiar faces.

Not a single Fire Nation soldier had stepped foot into their tea shop, and until one did, Lee figured, the customers would loudly continue to say anything they wanted about the firebenders _–– They deserve to pay for their war crimes, every single firebender. Drown them in the bay. Or burn them alive, they like fire. Let's hear how much they like it when it's eating their flesh on the pyre._

Lee shivered uncomfortably at the thought. Their hate wasn't directed at him. _But it could be._

People came into the tea shop for lots of reasons, none of which (Lee was sure) were the teas. Jia Ming's pastries sold out faster than most of the dried tea leafs in the kitchen's storeroom. Often they tasted better than they looked. However, Lee knew with certainty, everyone came to the teashop for the gossip.

Rain pelted softly against the front windows, yet the room was subdued for a reason that had nothing to do with the damp air. Everyone was tense, not just Jeng.

Unfortunately, Lee only heard snippets of conversation. _Firebenders … burned … night … searching_ … the rest of their words faded into mumbles.

Most customers declined to order and shooed Lee away from their table. Only five of twenty people in the room decided to order tea. Though frustrating, he couldn't blame them. No one had spare coins. Purse strings across the Fourth Quarter tightened since trade between the other sections of the Lower Ring were cut off.

Less tea served meant less busywork. However, there was only so many times Lee could wipe down a clean table.

The rain drummed lightly against the roof, making Lee grateful the tea shop only leaked in one corner of the kitchen, unlike home which must be sopping wet by now. How did Mom deal with walking around a wet room all day without going crazy?

He walked toward the back to check if the drip pot needed to be emptied.

Without making tea to keep her busy lately, Jia Ming focused on baking, though now she made half as many sweet rolls and pastries as she did to before the invasion. Earlier in the week Jeng told her to cut back on supplies and stop baking. She ignored him.

Yesterday she and Lee ate the six sweet rolls that didn't sell. She believed that if the weren't working, they might as well eat.

The scent of fresh breads met Lee in the doorway. So did the humidity and heat of the ovens. They washed over him like a familiar warm, welcoming wave. Never too hot. He used to pretend, even at home, that the heat came from fire he created from his own bending.

But it didn't. He told his mom when he was younger. She scolded him for such a dangerous fantasy. _There are no firebenders in Ba Sing Se. Do you understand, Lee?_ Yes, he understood his firebending would get them thrown in jail or kicked out of the city, until he was old enough to realize worse could happen than being homeless.

Besides, the biggest fire Lee ever made sat in the palm of his hand, not even hot enough to leave a trail of smoke. The teashop ovens burned hotter.

As usual, Jia Ming stood nearby as her pastries baked. Old weathered hands gripped tightly to the countertop for stability while she waited.

"Do you want a stool to sit? I can go get one." Lee offered as he slipped past the older woman to look at the drip pot. Slow, rhythmic plinking of water filled it halfway in the past twenty minutes. It didn't need to be emptied yet.

"Thank you, but I'm fine." She waved the idea away. "Sitting's not going to keep me any younger."

"Do you know what happened?" The odds of Jia Ming knowing were slim unless Jeng told her early this morning. "Everyone's talking about something?"

When Lee passed through the main square last night he didn't see any newly hung wanted posters or decrees. It had been too wet this morning to notice and besides, all their ink would have bled in the rain, making them unreadable. What could have happened during the night to make everyone so uneasy?

"Sorry, Lee. I haven't heard anything back here. I watched them whisper all morning too. Why don't you ask someone directly. Ginzan's an old windbag, but Boan's up front and he'll give you an answer. Let me know if it's something important, will you."

Lee nodded as he dampened his rag again in the washtub and walked back into the tea shop's main room.

He approached one table in the middle seating four men, all regular customers that treated drinking tea and swapping stories as if it were full time work.

"What happened last night? Lee asked, directing the question at Boan whose hair had just started to white with age. Though the top of his head began balding years ago, his traditional Earth Kingdom styled braid was long and well cared for as the other men he sat beside.

"Mind your business, boy," another man, Lan snapped at him for interrupting.

Lee remained persistent, looking back to Boan. "Everyone's whispering. About what?"

Lan looked at Lee warily, trying to figure out if he were dumb or just unaware of news as important as the invasion. Eyes of all four men scoured over his apron, up his chest toward his face, and of course, flashing briefly over his burn.

Boan silenced his friend with a dismissive wave before Lan opened his mouth again. "You haven't heard yet?" He asked genuinely.

No. Everyone had been whispering all morning while he did his job. Lee fought the urge to answer sarcastically.

He settled for the truth instead. "I've been working." Not a complete lie since Lee managed to keep most of the place dry and clean while everyone gossiped.

Boan leaned closer conspiratorially. "Last night Fire Nation soldiers searched every home on Hesin street. Didn't announce they were coming, nothing. They broke down the doors and went through each building, each home. Terrorized the street while everyone was in their beds."

Lee's breath caught in his throat. Oh spirits. That was only six streets from here, located in the middle of the Fourth Quarter. Nothing made Hesin street special. Like anywhere, a few stall set up along the street. A well sat at the end of the street, accessible to everyone who lived on the street –– and that was a lot of people.

No wonder everyone in the tea shop whispered about it, fearing their homes were next.

"What were they looking for?" Lee asked. _Did they take anything? Was anyone hurt?_

The man's face went tight as if he drank stale bitter tea. Lee knew for a fact he hadn't –– the man stopped ordering tea four days ago. Boan shrugged. "Don't know. The fire roaches didn't take anything –– not money or food or nothing. In and out just like that. Must not have found what they were looking for."

Unease settled in Lee's gut. Mom wouldn't like hearing this. Not at all. Lee wondered what were the soldiers looking for? They had access to everything in the city now that their princess sat on the Earth King's throne. Rocks, ore, money, food, cotton, wood? None of those were in the Fouth Quarter, definitely not in anyone's home.

The Upper Ring had all gold and jewels, why not steal from them? The Fourth Quarter had nothing valuable.

A chill crept up the back of Lee's spine. If the Fire Nation wanted _things_ they would take them, maybe buy them if the army felt generous. That meant they didn't want things. What was left to take? _People_ , a voice at the back of Lee' mind whispered.

Lee tried to brush away the thought. Don't be ridiculous, he scolded himself. Jumping to conclusions only caused panic. No reason to worry.

The Fire Nation soldiers were probably looking for a specific item ( _or person. No! Don't think like that_ ). Except, why did the Fire Nation try to find it late at night when everyone slept? It didn't feel right. Wouldn't it be easier to find things when people weren't in their homes to stop them?

At least no one had been harmed. Nothing had been stolen either. This was good news as far a Lee was concerned, though he was sure his mom wouldn't see it the same way.

* * *

"You're sure no one knew what the soldiers were looking for?" Mom asked. Somehow the bowls on the floor multiplied yet again. There were twelve lined against the wall when Lee came home right before curfew. Where were the bowls coming from and the nasty smelling paste inside them coming from?

"No," Lee said impatiently. "No one knows, I asked." He hated being treated as if he were a stupid child. Of course he tried to find out!

His mother's mouth tightened as she looked at him sternly, warning him to stop his attitude. He looked away and took a deep breath, trying to reel himself in. He knew she only wanted to keep them safe.

"I don't know either, but I have an idea," she murmured more to herself than Lee. "It's not good."

He sat a little straighter in his seat. "How do you know?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

"The Fire Nation has been conquering land and people for 100 years," she explained. "Everything they are doing now they've done somewhere else before."

"Like, what they did to our village when we left for Ba Sing Se?" Lee asked hesitantly. His mom didn't like to speak about that day, and honestly, Lee never heard the details of the night they left. But it had to be the same situation, right?"

"Yes." She said tight and clipped, making it clear she didn't want to talk about it today either. "They didn't hurt anyone yet, but they will soon. It's only a matter of time."

Lee was confused. "Then what are they searching for?"

"Women, men, anyone to join their army or workforce."

"But they didn't take anyone?"

"Not yet," She reminded him.

Lee finally voiced a question nagging at the back of his mind all afternoon. "Could they be looking for us and other people that made the Fire Nation angry?"

Mom looked over at him, eyes softening. She shook her head. "No. I don't think so. No one knows we're here, we wouldn't be recognized. That said, "she amended, "They could still be looking for traitor and wanted persons. It's not their priority right now but stay safe out there, Lee. Don't attract their attention."

"I won't."

"Good, get ready for bed, it's late."

"What is all this stuff?" Lee finally asked pointing to the bowls on the floor.

Mom walked away. "Medicine, don't touch it. Get ready for bed."

Lee sighed.

* * *

The next morning the rain ended, leaving the streets humid, but slowly drying in the spring sun. Everything smelled foul from the dirt and waste stirred up yesterday. Lee gagged and covered his nose twice while walking to the teashop.

A new poster hung from the square advertising civilian work for the Fire Nation army in black letters big enough to see at a distance. As Lee walked past it a small crowd gathered. Some scoffed at the notion of working for the invaders. A few padded their empty pockets and silently considered the idea. Lee pretended not to notice. Right now any income was better than none.

Before Lee even tired his apron at the tea shop, news of another Fire Nation search circulated across the room in private pockets of conversation. Lee listened closely, cleaning besides customers as they spoke.

Another block was searched in the dead of night. The Red Army came, bearing torches and lit palms as they burst into home, scaring families from their beds. Two people were arrested and taken away –– at least that's what several people in the tea shop claimed after witnessing the arrests firsthand. Someone else awakened by the search believed their money was stolen, but couldn't say who did it. Lee remembered his mother's warning last night.

" _Then what are they searching for?"_

" _Women, men, anyone to join their army or workforce."_

" _But they didn't take anyone?"_

" _Not yet,"_

The two arrested, a man and a woman of no relation, were unlikely victims. Witnesses claim they never interacted. Why there were arrested –– no one knew. Were they Earth Kingdom spies or part of a secret underground resistance against the Fire Nation, or just unfortunate souls in the wrong place? Someone argued the man was a firebender and that's why he was arrested. Everyone else in the room shrugged, unsure.

Though the population inside the tea shop expanded since the searches, but the amount of paying customers plummeted. Only a handful bought tea now, both to Lee's delight and annoyance.

He didn't mind having less to do during the day, and as long as he did what he needed and looked busy in front of Jeng he could do whatever he wanted. He talked (or rather listened) to Jia Ming in the kitchen and ate her sweet rolls. The kitchen's backdoor gave him an escape into the alley behind the tea shop to sit on a stack of old crates for fresh air.

As much as Lee enjoyed not serving tea, he was bored.

Jeng, on the other hand, took a more panicked and angry approach to his business failing. Sales dropped dangerously, making the owner's already agitated state more irritable. Lee watched Jeng's dilemma (from a distance). When the gate to the other Quarters closed, money stopped circulating. Prices on basic goods rose. Jeng (and really all the businesses in the Fourth Quarter) couldn't compete prices, not without risking all sales disappearing.

In the afternoon Jia Ming took inventory of their dwindling supplies by herself in the kitchen as Lee swept underneath a table. Small piles of dirt left behind from an earthbender brushed into his dustpan easily. They needed to be removed before wet feet from another rain turned them into mud.

A woman gasped. The tea shop silenced instantly.

Lee turned to look from beneath the table as best as he could.

Two Fire Nation soldiers in full armor, without their helmet, stood in the doorway. Lee watched from beneath the table, broom and dustpan forgotten as they walked forward into the tea house.

Jeng rushed from his seat to meet the soldiers. The reality of Fire Nation soldiers in his tea shop made him look like he just swallowed a particularly bitter sip of tea. Lee realized the owner was probably more afraid of bad publicity than the wrath of the Fire Nation. If the Fourth Quarter knew he Red Army had been there, he'd lose even more business. All the gossip he enjoyed would find elsewhere to go.

"What can I do for you?" Jeng asked the soldiers, eager to remove them as fast as possible.

"Not here for business. Just want some cheap tea," said one soldier.

Lee couldn't see Jeng's frown from where he crouched under the table, but he knew the man didn't like anyone calling his tea cheap (even if it was).

Jeng treated the insult as if it were a compliment to save face.

"Well this is the place to be. Have a seat please." Jeng's eyes searched the room for Lee with the desperation and precision of a mad man as the soldiers sat at a front table.

They were only here for tea, not to arrest anyone. Satisfied, Lee climbed out from under the table with the broom and dustpan. Jeng silently snapped his fingers, directing him to get over to the customers and do his job.

Lee left the sweeping supplies behind and wiped his hands on the rag in his apron pocket. Grabbing little menus from the back counter, he made his way over. Why was he nervous now? He'd taken orders thousands of time. But never from an enemy, especially one that tried to kill him (even if he didn't remember it).

Lee didn't remember that night (or was it day?) Mom never talked about. Still, he spent hours digging through his brain trying to come up with something from that event. He remembered being tired. And a man he guessed was his dad . He screamed –– and that was all. His father died protecting him and Lee couldn't even remember the man's face.

His hands felt more damp than usual as he approached the soldier's table. He offered the men menus, but they waved them away, knowing what they wanted. One wanted oolong, the other white tea.

Lee paused and ran a mental check through the kitchen trying to remember if they had any leaves for white tea left. Right now in spring was its' peak season. They should have had plenty, but cutting off trade with the rest of the city meant Lee hadn't bought any in weeks.

"Let me see if we have any," he told the soldier.

Quickly Lee went back to the kitchen, green and gold eyes alike following him across the room until he disappeared into the kitchen. "Do we have any white tea?" He asked Jia Ming.

She frowned, then looked at all the leaves they had left spread across the counter in front of her before shaking her head.

Lee returned to the front.

"How can you not have any?" The soldier scoffed at the news. Maybe people from the Fire Nation were too used to getting everything they wanted.

Lee nearly bit his tongue trying to restrain himself. He wanted to shout it was their fault no one had anything, but getting arrested wouldn't help. "Supplies are limited," he said.

"Too bad. You got green tea?"

Lee nodded.

"I'll take that. And some pastries too. Spirits, I've missed those," he told the other soldier.

"Anything else?"

At that moment, both soldiers caught sight of his ruined face. Most strangers ignored the burn across Lee's eye, but not these two. They stared at him openly.

"Someone got you good, kid." One soldiers said. "Not even the army's got scars like that. You do that to yourself or piss off a firebender?"

Before Lee could answer, the other soldier spoke up.

"He would have defended himself if he was a bender. Only nonbenders get scars like that."

The answer pacified both soldiers.

No one had ever been this direct about his injury before, at least not to Lee's face. Everyone knew it must have come from a firebender, but no one said it aloud. If it wasn't for touching the leathery skin across his face himself, he wouldn't know it was there.

War injuries just weren't spoken about. Not publicly.

You know who did it kid?" The first soldier asked. The entire tea shop was still watching and Lee struggled to find his voice to respond.

He shook his head. "It was a long time ago."

"Too bad," the soldier remarked.

Lee didn't like being under their scrutiny. Their gaze drew to his bad eye to examine it, then drifted over to the right, his good eye, seeing the pale gold color. Both the soldiers themselves had darker copper eyes. Lee felt uncomfortable so close to them.

"The tea will be ready soon, made fresh." Lee returned to the kitchen, grateful to get away.

Lee served their tea without drawing anymore of their attention until he returned to collect their empty cups. The soldiers sat comfortably relaxed, chatting about their own lives. Lee wished they looked more … official or something. Not like normal people.

He was about to walk away when one of the Fire Nation soldiers spoke to him.

"Hey kid, we're looking for firebenders. You see anymore rogue benders going around burning faces or kids, you let us know, you hear."

Lee froze in fear as their words sunk in. The horror must have flashed through his good eye for the soldiers to see. They wanted firebenders. They were searching for firebenders. Why were the looking for firebenders?

Both teacups slipped through Lee's sweaty hands and shattered on the wooden floor. He scrambled to pick up the pieces of broken clay, apologizing. Jeng heard the breaking and jumped from his seat on the other side of the room to placate the soldiers if necessary.

Both soldiers watched Lee suspiciously. "You don't know any firebenders, do you?"

"No," Lee stuttered. He hurried to the kitchen to throw the broken teacups away.

They knew he was lying.


	4. It Gets Worse

Author's Note: Thanks to pivom9co for being a super beta!

* * *

 **Invasion**

 **Chapter Four**

* * *

Stupid, Lee was so stupid to talk to the soldiers. He practically ran to the kitchen as Jeng swooped in to control the damage. None of the eyes in the tea shop were on him anymore, but Lee still felt their stares, their judgment. His heart raced with the speed of a cheetah-deer as if it wanted to burst from his chest. And his stomach threatened to empty itself on the floor.

What was wrong with him? Dropping the tea cups –– he had all but admitted he was a firebender.

In the kitchen, Lee threw away the broken shards with trembling hands as Jia Ming watched with concern. She came over and put a comforting hand on his arm. For a wild moment Lee considered fleeing. It would be so easy. Out the back door, through the streets.

As if he didn't look suspicious enough already.

The warm, gentle weight of the old woman's hand held him in place as if it were an anchor. All thoughts of running sunk like a stone in Full Moon Bay. Lee took a deep breath, but the panic inside him remained.

"What happened?"Jia Ming tried to meet his eyes, but he stared at the floor. Oh Spirits, they were going to arrest him.

"The soldiers are looking for firebenders." Fear crept into Lee's voice. "They're taking firebenders." _And they'll take me._

She heard the unspoken implication and frowned, deep creases forming in her aged face. Maybe she knew he was a bender. It didn't matter either way. He never told her and she never asked.

"Are you sure, Lee?"

Lee nodded helplessly to the floor. The old tea maker opened her mouth, prepared to say more, but was interrupted by Jeng's shout from the main room.

"LEE!"

The sound echoed all the way from the front of the building.

"Go." Jia Ming urged in a soothing voice, far too calm. "You have nothing to worry about, the red soldiers make everyone nervous. It's not as bad as it sounds. Jeng won't let them touch you."

Lee doubted that very much.

Selling Lee to the Fire Nation sounded exactly like the type of thing the owner would do to save his own skin.

Lee wanted to stay in the kitchen with the familiar smell of spices and warmth of the ovens instead of going out there to face the soldiers. But Jia Ming nudged him forward and his feet carried him out of habit.

He stepped out of the kitchen into the main body of the tea shop expecting to be arrested. Sweat rolled down his back. All of a sudden the room felt entirely too warm and Lee adjusted his robe nervously.

Nothing happened.

Mildly surprised, Lee saw Jeng standing beside the Fire Nation soldiers, who were still seated sipping their tea.

A few customers slipped out after the red soldiers sat down for their drinks, judging from several empty tables. Others stayed, feeling relatively safe and curious enough to remain, even if their voices lowered and conversations turned toward neutral topics like the weather.

Now all their eyes were on him.

"Lee!" Jeng roared again, catching sight of his employee.

Jia Ming was a liar because that voice sounded like Lee had a lot to worry about. Given the chance, Jeng preferred to get his server's attention quietly whenever possible, snapping, gesturing, or making eye contact. Yelling tended to annoy customers.

But the owner didn't care about his customers right now.

He sounded angry. Livid.

"Did you break my teacups?"

Caught off guard, Lee stared at his boss in confusion. Why did that matter? Here he was, about to be arrested and Jeng wanted to start the interrogation by yelling at him about broken ceramic.

"Did you? Answer me!" Jeng shouted, approaching Lee. Green robes billowed as the man drew himself to his full height, though he wasn't much taller than the teenager.

Lee hesitated, eyes darting between the soldiers and Jeng. "Yes."

"That's the third time this week, you useless boy! Get out, you're done for the day. I don't need you destroying my shop."

Heat rose to his good cheek, humiliated at the accusation. He reacted before he could stop. "What?"

In the past three years Lee knew he only broke one thing, a previously cracked kettle. And Jia Ming gladly threw it out. What was Jeng talking about, accusing him of being bad at his job. Lee took a lot of pride in what he did. It may not be important, but he did what Jeng wanted every single day and he did it well.

"You heard me. Get out. I don't need a tea server who costs me more than he makes. You can't do your job so get out."

Confusion morphed into anger. Lee's mouth opened to protest, only to close again, dry and unable to find the right words. He'd spent three years of his life working at the damn tea shop getting burned by boiling water, cleaning, serving, memorizing orders and names of customers. And only to get fired now … for breaking a teacup?

Right as Lee was about to say what he really thought about Jeng and his stupid tea shop when the man stepped forward, leaving only a single pace between them.

"Go home, Lee." He whispered voice devoid of actual anger and low enough for only Lee's ears to hear. "Come back tomorrow morning."

Lee's anger evaporated. What was happening?

"This is your last warning, kid, before I ask these fine soldiers to escort you out."

Jeng wanted him to be angry, pushing all his buttons. Fine. Lee reached behind his back, untying his apron in one swift movement from years of experience. Lee ripped off the apron and threw it to the floor at his feet before stomping out of the tea shop, every step acting like the defiant youth everyone expected from him.

"Teenager," Jeng mumbled to the soldiers and the rest of the patrons.

Lee kept walking head down in silent rage, barely noticing where he went. Each step took him further away from the tea house, Jeng, and the soldiers. Lee's breath caught in his throat as he stopped suddenly, halting in the middle of the street so abruptly that someone nearly ran into him. The soldiers… it dawned on him like the faint ray of sun shining over the outer wall on a clear, cloudless spring morning. The soldiers were back at the tea house and he was here ––safely out of their reach –– several blocks over.

And yet for another time that day Lee found himself confused. Did … did Jeng just protect him? No. The teashop owner wasn't that selfless. There had a be an alternate reason. Maybe the man, fed up with his failing business, actually fired him in a moment of rage. That felt more likely.

Either way, tomorrow when Lee went back, he would find out. Jeng owed him half a day's pay. Lee earned that money and he'd be damned it the stingy owner refused to pay due to the broken cups.

It was far too early in the afternoon to go home. More importantly, Lee didn't want to explain the mess to his mom. Getting fired paled in comparison to learning Fire Nation soldiers were searching for firebenders, but he didn't want to tell her about either.

Lee walked around the city for a while going wherever his legs carried him. A fair number of people, like himself, were out and about. Unless he was running an errand for the teashop, he usually stayed inside all day until it closed in the evening. The people on streets in the day looked far more relaxed than the people he was used to seeing rushing home before the curfew at sunset.

He walked passed some barefoot kids playing an earthbending game, running and weaving through the street with wild abandon. A smile tugged at Lee's lips when he remembered doing the same –– not for long, he and Mom need the income more. An old man shouted a string of curses at them for getting in his way, but the kids laughed and kept running. Part of Lee wished he could go back to those days, but he didn't dwell long on the nostalgia.

Lee found a ledge on a short wall that blocked off the back alley from the street. He climbed up it easily and sat, watching everyone pass by. Soldiers, civilians, children, and the elderly. Just all carrying on as if they weren't any more poor or hungry under the Fire Nation rule than under the Earth Kingdom.

From his seat he saw a frustrated man trying to shop from what little supplies remained in their part of the city. There wasn't a lot.

"These prices are outrageous!" He gestured harshly at the grain stall he stood in front of offering bags of rice of wheat. "Last week you wanted 12 copper pieces per pound and now –– now it's 20! That's theft!"

"Look," the vendor said equally agitated, "it is what it is. I got a family to feed too. When the soldiers open the Fourth Quarter again we'll get more and the price will drop. Until then we're all clenching our wallets. You want some or not?"

The man grumbled under his breath before giving in. "I'll take half a pound."

Lee's head spun at the idea of paying 20 copper pieces for a basic good like rice. Before the invasion a pound of rice cost as little as 5 coins. Now it sold for 20! He didn't even want to know the price of sugar, meat, or any other luxuries now.

Hearing those numbers hurt.

Just this week Lee and his mother used the last of their savings to pay rent. He pinched the bridge of his nose wondering what would happen now. Where would the money come from next month if he didn't have a job?

He sat on the wall, gently kicking his heels against the beige stones, wasting time as he wondered where he could work next. Reading and writing were always valued skills if he could find somewhere that needed to take inventory or correspondence. On top of that he had a quick mind. Though lithe and not particularly strong he could do some type of physical labor if it meant getting paid.

For the first time in a long time, he had, well, time. Lee turned behind to look into the closed alley behind him so see it was filled with the usual boxes and crates, broken objects thrown out into the street, but never really completely thrown out. Bored, Lee turned himself around and hoped onto the other side. He landed more or less gracefully, one hand on the ground to steady himself as his long legs folded to absorb the impact.

It had been a long time since he did anything so physical.

Lee tiptoed through the alley though no one was there to hear him. Still, he moved as stealthily as possible. Every creak and groan of wood and the soft tap of his shoe echoed loudly in the silence.

Nothing came of it, though if Lee were honest, he didn't know what adventure he expected to find. Hidden treasure among the trash? A shrill voice yelling at him to get out?

The alley ended sooner than he hoped, opening to another street, same as the last. Disappointed, wondered around for another two hours before returning home.

A common joke in the Lower Ring said that the only thick walls in the city were created by earthbenders. All other walls were notoriously thin to the point of knowing the neighbor's business whether you wanted to or not. Lee's apartment building was no exception. Old, but not as old as the shoddy construction implied, the wooden building left much to be desired when it came to space and privacy.

The stairs groaned under each step as he walked up to the top floor and if he bothered to listen he could tell who was home. He stopped in the hallway in front of his door, hearing a soft spoken conversation inside, though he couldn't make out the words.

He knocked at the door, speaking louder so his mom could hear him clearly through the wood "Mom, it's me."

The his mother's voice stopped and the floorboards inside creaked faintly as she walked toward the door. After the familiar snap of the metal lock, she opened it and let him inside, only to lock the door behind him again.

"You're early," she murmured. Concern showed in her copper colored eyes. "Is everything alright."

No, not at all, but Lee couldn't tell her while she had company. He glanced over to the table to see their downstairs neighbor Mrs. Hong sitting beside two empty bowls, new additions to his mother's growing collection.

The woman, about Mom's age, wore a green robe and always listened with a sympathetic ear. The two met regularly when their lives allowed. She didn't have any children (which disappointed Lee when he was younger) and lived in their building since he and his mother moved in.

"I'll tell you later."

He bowed politely to Mrs. Hong before excusing himself to lay down. With practice, Lee tuned out the women's voices in the small apartment and fell asleep. By the time he opened his eyes again the room grew dark. A single candle as his mom sat by herself reading a battered scroll under the dim light.

He blinked once, than twice and wondered where the time went.

"Are you feeling alright? You slept for a long time."

Lee nodded even though he remembered the disaster that was his day. He would tell her about it, but just not right now.

"What's that one?" Lee asked out of curiosity pointing toward her scroll. The candle burned beside her, a gently guiding light. Lee felt the fire inside him pull to it, but pushed the urge away.

She read a lot, far more than most people in the Lower Ring, especially in the Fourth Quarter. Despite the university in the Middle Ring, much of the poorer population, farmers and tradesmen, never learned how read. But Lee figured most refugees didn't have time to learn when fleeing for their lives.

He's lucky that she taught him how to read. Back when he sat inside at the table in front of endless scrolls, learning how to hold slices of charcoal to write with because ink was too expensive, he rather have been playing outside. Even inside. Now he's grateful she took the time to teach him.

"History, well, a fictional history of the 15th Earth King and his bride. It's fairly dull to be honest."

Of course it was. All the texts he read about the monarchy portrayed the rulers as perfect, flawless beings doomed to suffer in an imperfect world. From the 10th Earth King to the 50th, all records of them sounded the same. "Why? You don't even like the royal family."

"Hush," she scolded him mildly. "Don't let others hear you say that. We're still loyal to the Earth King, no matter what's happening in the city."

Yet the statement fell flat and the sincerity of them never quite reached her eyes.

Throughout his childhood 'loyalty' was thrown around often, repeated by rote. Everyone said it. In fact, Lee thought the residents in the Fourth Quarter said it a little too often before the invasion as if to reassure they earned the safety behind the walls. ' _We are loyal.'_ But Mom repeated it the same way she stated, ' _There are no firebenders in Ba Sing Se.'_ As if saying the phrases enough made them true.

It didn't.

"I respect the royal family (and you should too, went unstated), but they are just people. History tends to look favorably upon them even when it shouldn't. If I remember correctly, the Earth Kingdom at this time was broken into three kingdoms. This story doesn't acknowledge that. It writes the story it wants others to read and ignores the rest.

The royal family protects us; they govern, unite, and provide for everyone in the capitol. Even though they are given the resources to become great leaders, they are people who get angry, confused, and make mistakes, everyone else.

The royal family should be respected as leaders and decision makers. However, blindly following their rule puts everyone in danger."

Lee quirked his remaining eyebrow in fained curiosity. "Thought about the royal family a lot, have you?"

"More than is healthy," his mother replied dryly before changing the subject. "Why were you back so early today?

Lee remembered the disastrous afternoon serving the soldiers at the tea shop. He didn't want to tell her what happened, how he almost gave himself away and hurt her by making them suspicious. She wanted to be left alone and he nearly brought the Fire Nation soldiers to their doorstep.

He didn't need to tell her everything, not yet. Not until he went back tomorrow morning.

"I found out what the Fire Nation soldiers are looking for."

Mom put her scroll down. Someone had probably traded it in exchange for one of her herbal remedies. When times were tight an exchange of goods was nearly as useful as money. She always read Earth Kingdom histories no matter how boring because she was _loyal_. Lee, young nodded understanding that he and his mom always needed to prove themselves Earth because they were different, because fire burned within and called more loudly than earth.

"They are looking for firebenders in the city."

"Good thing you are not a firebender," she said evenly.

"Mom –" he started. He didn't want to hear it again. He knew what she was going to tell him.

She cut him off. "NO. I know its hard."

"NO you don't! You're not a bender!" Lee shouted into the dark, quiet room. She had no idea what it felt like to be called to fire and to feel the flames in his soul. His mom only felt heat. She didn't have to hide it, pretend it didn't exist, like it wasn't part of her.

Silence echoed loudly off the thin wooden walls, even louder than his voice a moment before.

"I'm not a bender – you're right -. But I know what it's like to go into hiding and pretend everyday to be something I'm not. It's a lie. It's hard, and it hurts. But we are safe, Lee. It's either lie or be killed. Our lies protect us."

"I'm tired of lying." Lee said, even quieter. Not an apology, but close enough.

"Me too."

"What do they want firebenders for? Why are they arresting them? Shouldn't they want as many firebenders as possible?"

His mother hummed in thought. "They do, just not here. There is no use for firebenders in Ba Sing Se, not unless they conquer or maintain control of the city. They want firebenders to fight for them in the war."

"But they won't! No one forced to fight is going to fight for the people that kidnapped them."

"Not all become soldiers," Mom supplied." The Fire Nation needs firebenders to heat their boilers and factories. There are lots of uses for firebenders, just few in Earth Kingdom capital. "They aren't being arrested, they're probably being transported out of the city."

He didn't understand how she could say it so casually as if contemplating the weather instead of the fate of innocent people.

"But these people, they won't cooperate, they can't betray the Earth Kingdom."

She sighed sadly.

"Then they will be used to make a new generation of firebenders. The Fire Nation will do anything to raise its numbers."

Old enough to understand, Lee shuddered at the implication. His mother grew quiet as well. She seemed to be done speaking and sat lost in thought, her reading forgotten.

Had _that_ happened to her? Was Lee supposed to be just another bender in their army? She never spoke about his father and dismissed any of Lee's questions. All Lee knew about the man was that _'he is not a good person.'_ But after all these years she never said anything more.

It couldn't be true. It wasn't for all he knew. His brain just jumped to conclusions. Awful, sickening conclusions that made his head too light and his gut queasy with heaviness.

Done for the evening, Mom blew out her candle and went to bed soon afterward.

Lee couldn't sleep. His body and mind were too restless with the days events.

Once again he rolled over, cupped a flame in his palms out of sight from Mom and the rest of the city. Their building could be searched at any moment. Tonight. Tomorrow –– the thought terrified him. He imagined a black clad soldier wearing a haunting bone mask and copper eyes marching through the apartment building, kicking down door, and dragging him outside to join their army.

All because he was a firebender.

No matter how much Mom wanted, he couldn't just stop being a bender. Sure, during the day he hid himself. He portrayed himself as a nonbender to the rest of the world. But at night he needed this moment right here with his flame to make the rest of the day bearable. The heat on his skin tingled with warmth, but not enough to hurt or burn.

The memory of the soldiers in the tea shop danced across his mind. They said firebenders didn't get burned. Firebenders don't carry burn scars. So what happened to him? Mom said he was three years old when his face burned –– too young to bend, much less defend himself –– when a soldier from the red army tried to kill him.

Why attack a child?

His mind drifted without finding a real answer until he extinguished his flame was lulled to sleep by the familiarity of the city at night. Several cat-owls sang broken choruses across the Fourth Quarter. Cool air from the open window dulled the Fourth Quarter's perpetual stink of garbage and sweaty bodies, but a new scent mixed between them. As he fell asleep, Lee's foggy mind recognized the newest smell hovering over the city, the soft steady scent of smoke.


	5. Harsh Realities

_Author's Note:_ This chapter exists thanks to pivom9co who is an awesome beta.

 _Author's Warning:_ Implied Rape. This chapter was tough to write emotionally. Sexual violence is a serious topic and I hope others feel the same way. That being said, it is only relevant to this chapter and will not be a prominent plot point or raise the story's rating.

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **Harsh Realities**

* * *

Lee woke at dawn, rested, but anxious to return to the tea shop. If the Fire Nation soldiers were there again they could question him. Or worse, arrest him. Now that Lee knew their goal was to find all the firebenders hiding the Fourth Quarter, he hesitated to go back.

He didn't have enough faith in Jeng or the customers at the tea shop to try to help him, but they weren't likely to hand him over to the Fire Nation on a gold platter either. Yesterday he checked the bulletins, his heart racing as he scanned every official decree, to make sure the Fire Nation wasn't offering rewards for turning in firebenders.

Ultimately, that fact the tea shop had nothing to gain by giving him to the soldiers convinced Lee it was safe to return.

Jeng owed him yesterday's wages and Lee wasn't about to let the man steal his hard earned money.

The streets, as usual, were quiet in the early morning as the sun shined its dim warm glow, casting away shadows as it rose above the great outer wall. Smoke lingered faintly in the air as if it were another staple of the city's cultural heritage.

Recruitment posters advertising work (and pay) caught Lee's eye as he passed the bulletin board on the way to the tea shop, but it held no new announcements. He saw even more posters pasted to buildings and fences. The citizens that worked for the soldiers must be doing menial tasks, odd clerical work, unloading crates of supplies, and running messages, but Lee envied their full pockets and fuller stomachs.

The young women that worked in the sewing shop besides the tea house hadn't arrived by the time Lee passed the building. They wouldn't show up for at least another hour, not until the sun rose completely over the outer wall.

As soon as Lee's foot stepped inside the tea shop, a hand snatched the front of his robe. It yanked him inside with a sharp tug and Lee tripped over his feet trying to keep up.

Lee looked up to see the familiar face of Jeng, the tea shop owner. Paranoid, he shrugged out of the man's touch. The owner didn't seem to notice, having led Lee to the privacy inside.

"You need to learn how to lie," Jeng growled irritably. "Do you really think the soldiers are that stupid? You're lucky they didn't follow you yesterday."

Lee crossed his arms over his chest defensively. "I know how to lie," he spat.

Jeng ignored him. "And now you've single handedly brought the Fire Nation straight to my door. Good job, kid. They'll be back to question you and me sooner than later and _that's_ bad for business. I'm going to lose customers over this. "

Lee didn't care about the stupid teashop anymore, not when the safety of the city collapsed around them. No one drank the tea anymore anyway. The customers just bowed their heads to whisper. The place was no better than the front porches where all the old biddies gossiped about their daughter-in-laws.

Jeng sighed, rubbing at his temple.

"Lee, business is slow, you know that." The change in subject only put Lee further on edge.

He fully expected to be lectured for breaking the tea cups. His boss was probably about to say the difference was coming out of his wages, already smaller than they were month ago before the invasion. It seemed like only the red army had money. And if Jeng only wanted a profit, he should thank Lee for bringing the soldiers and their gold coins inside.

Jeng continued. "We were not making as much as we once did. Between that and your stunt yesterday I'm cutting back your hours. I don't need a server when no one's drinking tea."

Lee's good eye grew wide with comprehension. He was being fired! No, that couldn't happen. Mom wasn't working any more. She was no water tribe healer, but she knew her plants and what they were good for. She barely made any coins for the little tasks she did from home and sent to the herbalist shop.

They were surviving off his income. And just barely. Without it what were they going to do? Would they be kicked out of their home? Go hungry? Sure, what Mom did helped people, even if it didn't look like it right now. (Those stupid bowls sat around taking up space. Why didn't she just sell them?) It was important, but it wouldn't buy them food or rent. Not right now.

Lee protested. "No, you can't!" It dawned on both of them that it may have ever been the first time he said no to Jeng's face.

Yet, the man didn't seem angry. Instead, he sighed, deflating to an honesty Lee had never witnessed.

"It would have happened no matter what, so don't blame yourself. I don't like it either. This place is losing money every damn day. The best I can do for you is keeping you part time. Come in once a week and be a runner and pick up supplies for me, what is left of them anyway. It's not much, but it's all I can offer. And it will pay."

Lee looked at him in disbelief. No way was this really happening.

He wasn't fired. Jeng was showing him … kindness?

"We are all hurting here. Jia Ming makes everything in the kitchen so she stays. I own the tea shop so I'm not going anywhere. It's got to be you. Don't take it personally."

The owner clapped Lee on the shoulder. "Go. I will have a list for you next week."

Still stunned, Lee didn't budge. His feet felt rooted to the floor as if trapped by an earthbender.

"It's for your own good kid. The Fire Nation soldiers said it themselves yesterday. They are looking for firebenders. You're good, but yesterday was not good enough. You almost brought them down on your head and mine. Do yourself a favor and lay low," Jeng warned. "Protect that mother of yours."

It was the most concern the tea shop owner had ever shown him. Yesterday Jeng's fit really had all been an act. By drawing attention to Lee _the useless tea server,_ it drew attention away from Lee _the firebender_ , letting him escape.

"I'm _not_ a bender." Lee emphasized.

"I know. I'm not handing you over. Know someone who is a bender, that's good enough for them. Make yourself scarce, you hear? Stay safe."

Lee stepped out of the tea shop in a daze. Jeng's act of kindness, protecting him yesterday clashed with the dreaded realization he no longer had a fulltime job. Now he and his mom had no income. What were they going to do? They didn't have anything left in their savings. Rent, food? Lee did not know where they would come from now. And the thought of telling mom made his stomach twist. Why did he always have bad news for her?

Maybe Lee could find another job, a different job here in the Fourth Quarter. Yeah right. No one could afford to hire, except the Fire Nation.

Lee's thoughts were interrupted by the strong scent of fresh smoke rising through the air. Others smelled it too and turned to the look in its direction. Someone yelled. Panic rose in the street. Lee Lee turned to the left to see a giant column of thick, dark, smoke rising into the sky. Some people in the street ran from it, wanting nothing to so with the fire, as if it would come for them too. Others charged toward the growing cloud, self preservation gone. What if people were inside, trapped and needed to be rescued? The fire needed to be stopped. The building could collapse. With all the buildings packed closely together in the Fourth Quarter the entire block could go up, be destroyed in the inferno.

Lee followed the others toward the flames. He ran without thinking, long legs carrying him over the uneven roads. His lungs strained and burned with the effort. Four blocks later he stopped running to stand in front of the burning building beside a crowd of onlookers watching in horror as the flames ate through the wooden structure. Everyone stood and stared.

Why was no one helping to put out the fire? Lee shifted closer, seeing the familiar black and red uniforms silhouetted against the roaring flames. Four Fire Nation soldiers stood between the crowd and the burning building. And they just stood there, watching it burn.

No, Lee realized with horror. They let it burn.

It seemed so surreal. Neither building to the right or left was touched by the raging fire. The flames remained roaring on the one structure, ignoring all others.

Lee saw no use in staying. There was no one to help. People in the crowd started to cough at all the smoke when the breeze changed direction. The building looked empty and Lee hoped with all his heart that it had been when the soldiers set it on fire. He couldn't stomach the alternative.

Lee fled back home quickly. He turned the door handle lightly, only to find it locked and knocked hurriedly. As if a locked door would be enough to stop the Fire Nation, much less an ordinary firebender.

Mom opened the door and closed it quickly behind him, snapping the lock shut.

"What happened?" She asked, eyes wide with concern. She didn't expect him back so early, not again. The sun had barely risen.

Lee nearly choked on his tongue getting the words out. What has he supposed to say? How could he describe the terror of watching the flames eat through the windows while the soldiers let it happen?

"They're burning a building." He didn't need to specify who. "It's on fire and they're just … they're just standing there, watching it burn to the ground."

She gasped. Her eyes widened in fear. "Where?"

"Near the First Quarter Gate." Far enough away from their apartment.

"Was anyone hurt? Why did they set it?"

"I don't know," Lee answered honestly. Adrenaline fading, he tried to stop his hands from shaking by hugging them to his chest where he couldn't see them. The gesture did no good.

"What about work? Don't you need to go back to the tea shop this morning?"

Lee looked away, sheepish. His good eye stared at the ugly scratched floor, unable to look his mother. Spirits, he didn't want to have this conversation. Because telling her would make it real that now that they barely made any money.

This stupid invasion, stupid Fire Nation ruined their lives! Why couldn't everything just be normal again? The Earth King sitting on the Earth Kingdom throne instead of the stupid Fire Nation princess. The Lower Ring access would allow him to go anywhere, to see Jin, to buy food and tea leaves for the tea shop, where he still had a full time job. People were only arrested for being criminals, not for being benders. There were no firebenders in Ba Sing Se.

Lee wished he could go back to those days.

"They don't need me full time. I can go back once a week to run errands, but that's it."

His mom gasped with genuine sympathy. "Oh no." Though she knew her son didn't enjoy being a tea server, he didn't mind it. The work was honest and paid well alongside her former salary. It wasn't heavy labor, and Lee did well for himself. They both had come so far and did so well since uprooting their lives and starting over ten years ago.

Mom stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. At sixteen years old, he should have felt embarrassed by the hug, but in that moment he didn't care. It felt nice to be held again. The familiar touch brought warm memories to both of them. She used to hold him when he was sick, when the burn on his face hurt, ached, and itched as it healed. He knew that when she was lonely she pulled him close and reminded herself why fleeing to Ba Sing Se all those years ago was worth the effort, the pain, and poverty.

"Don't worry, Lee. We'll be fine. Everything will work out, just like it always has. We won't be here for long. I know it seems like I'm sitting around all day, but I promise I'm doing everything I can to get us out of the city. We're not safe here anymore. I don't know where we'll go, maybe the Yu Dow mountains or Gaoling, but we will leave the city."

"How?" Lee asked, ever practical.

He couldn't imagine how they could escape, not by themselves. The ferry in and out of Full Moon Bay was closed. They couldn't even get out of their section of the Lower Ring in the Fourth Quarter.

"I don't know yet, Lee. People are tight lipped for a reason. No one wants to get caught trying to flee the city. But there are earthbenders, at least, earthbenders willing to help others escape through tunnels beneath the outer rings, under the fields. No one has done it yet, but they are planning. They're waiting for the right time, the right place when both the Dai Li and the Fire Nation soldiers are distracted."

Someone knocked on the door.

The sound echoed loudly between Lee and his mom, startling them both. They froze, the familiar panic of fear setting in their chests. Who could it be? The person outside the door knocked again, and though the sound was soft, the second one rapped harder against the thin wooden, aged door.

Both their curiosity piqued. Mom, instantly suspicious, nodded toward Lee to stand back. He did, watching as she approached the door from a safe distance.

"Who's there?" she asked, voice confident, not betraying the fear Lee knew she felt.

"It's a … it's Shinju … " A woman's soft reply came. "I'm, um, looking for a healer. Liew gave me this address, said you could help."

Recognizing the name of the woman Mom used to work for, she moved at once, three long strides to reach the door, unlock and open it enough to see it was in fact a women standing timidly on the other side.

"Come in, please." Mom gave the woman room to enter. She looked, confused and bewildered as her eyes swept the room making sure Mom hadn't set a trap inside.

Lee understood her hesitation.

The woman's face and eyes, red rimmed, looked like she had been crying recently. She held her arms crossed tightly over her chest and looked at Lee with sudden distrust. Her eyes continued to flit back to him nervously, though the woman tried to focus on Mom.

Lee's mom also glanced back between the two, reading the woman's discomfort.

"This is my son." Mom introduced trying to ease the woman's fears.

Mom turned back toward him. "Lee, can you go get more water please. I'll need it soon."

He had been raised by her long enough to realize when a command was disguised as polite request. After all, Mom went to the well for water yesterday and they both knew the bucket was plenty full.

Mom didn't want fresh water. She just wanted him to step out long enough to let the women speak.

"Take your time." Not a request, an order, confirming Lee's suspicions as he moved past he to take the bucket sitting on the counter. The water, half full (or half empty) inside sloshed against the wooden frame as he picked it up and walked to the door to give the women privacy. The woman looked grateful. Her eyes traced his every move until the door between them began to close.

Lee walked down the creaking wooden steps leading to their small apartment. If he listened carefully on the way down the stairs he heard voices on the other side of the walls, loud and too clear from behind the thin door and thinner walls.

When Lee stepped outside of the apartment onto the street, he tossed the water out of the wooden bucket to lighten the load. It splashed heavily on the dirt road.

The well used by their building shared itself with another block and was found on the corner between the two streets. It was always busy. Most strangers said a brief greeting and a nod of the head. They wanted no real conversation as they hauled their water and prepared to carry it away. Lee respected that. He rather get the chore over with quickly and efficiently.

It wasn't a pleasant task, but far from the worst he (and especially mom) had done. Lee envied waterbenders. They never had to carry heavy buckets. Moving water wasn't back breaking labor for them. As far as he had seen, it was a game. He remembered being young, tugging on his mother's robes while she hauled water and he followed her, his only lifeline. He followed her everywhere. It must have been annoying Lee realized now, looking back on his childhood never giving his mom enough space to breathe most days. Still, she drew him close when they both needed the affection, and he appreciated that.

Lee took his time wandering through town. He did not need to get water immediately. He didn't know how long his mom would take. Sitting, waiting outside the apartment didn't sound appealing, so Lee took his time.

The scent of smoke lingered heavily in the air. Lee tried to ignore it.

An hour later he returned to their apartment building hauling a bucket full of fresh water up to their apartment, up the same creaking wooden stairs that that groaned with every step. Lee entered to find Mom alone, the woman gone.

"Thank you, Lee." His mom said, taking the water from him and putting it away on the counter beside a newly emptied bowl. She washed the dish and set it aside to dry.

Without anything else to do, Lee picked up one of his mom's scrolls and began to read. It was a painfully dry and as boring as he knew it would be. She read them to keep an active mind, but Lee was under no illusions himself and put it aside instantly.

And thus began Lee's days of boredom. At night he went to sleep ignoring the urge to bend as he remembered fire terrorizing the city. It tainted the warmth of his own flame until Lee wondered how he ever thought fire was capable of more than destroying.

In the mornings he awoke at sunrise, just as his body always did, only to realize for the first time in years he had nowhere to go and nothing to do. No reason to get out of bed. He went without breakfast, saving his hunger for lunch.

Mom suggested he find a scroll worth reading or focus on his picking up his studies again, but Lee wasn't quite bored enough to give himself homework. Yet.

* * *

Just as the harsh orange sunlight started to sink behind the walls of the city Lee heard another faint knock at the door. He looked toward it curious. Who would come this late, right before curfew? Mom glanced over to it as well from her seat at the table before looking back to Lee and nodding for him to open it.

Earlier this afternoon Lee visited the herbalist shop. He relayed his mother's greeting and well wishes to the owner before picking up a bag filled with ingredients and a list of instructions of what his mother should do with them ––cures for headaches and back pain, relief for joints and other aches.

Mom spent the better part of the evening sorting through the dried plants and fresh wilting leaves. Most had a soft scent, but one of the plants sitting on the table was so sharp and crisp it made his eyes water.

Lee opened the door, not recognizing the woman on the other side. She wore the drab green shade of the Earth Kingdom and balanced a small child on her hip as her eyes darted nervously behind him.

"Yes?"

He knew she was here for his mother's medicine, just like the other three women this week. What Lee didn't understand was why they had to come here for it.

The woman shifted the weight of the child to a more comfortable position. "The herbalist, is this where she lives?"

Lee nodded and opened the door wider for her to enter as Mom abandoned her work at the table and stood.

Lee had been through this routine enough. "I'll be outside," he announced shutting the door behind him before Mom sent him away.

Wandering down the stairs and out of the building, Lee stepped outside. He knew to stay close. As soon as the sun sank curfew was enforced. No one wanted to risk the wrath of the red soldiers since the start of the searches. But by the time he walked around the block, enough time would pass to return without interrupting.

At least the street traffic cleared by this time of day.

Before he reached the end of the street someone bumped into Lee. He kept walking and apologized without looking. "Sorry."

A strong hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

The man stood a head and a half taller than Lee and sneered at him through greasy black hair. It hung limply around the man's narrow face in a jagged cut, as if it had been trimmed a year ago without a mirror at the mercy of a dull knife.

Perhaps the same knife that was now pointed threateningly at Lee's chest.

"Watch where you're going kid. Don't you know it's dangerous to walk around after curfew."

This man was just a bully and a thief.

"Good thing it is not curfew yet." He said smartly, mouth running faster than before his brain as he stepped away. "Thanks for the advice. I'll be more careful."

"I'm not playing, kid." The man warned, raising his knife closer. "Hand over what you've got."

Getting mugged in the lower ring happened so frequently that no one was surprised to find themselves on either side of the act. In certain parts of the city it was practically a greeting.

Lee remembered being robbed twice before. Once he reluctantly handed over a full basket of food from the market. The other time the thugs ripped his tips from the teashop out of his pockets after he refused to give them up. But both those times he had been younger and smaller. An easy target. Since then he had grown taller even if he remain thin and lanky.

The invasion caused the criminals of the Fourth Quarter to crawl back into under their rocks. Like everyone else they were afraid of punishment by the new reign. It seemed the thieves and robbers of the Fourth Quarter started to grow confident again in the shadows cast by the soldier's flames.

Lee carried nothing valuable. The only thing in his pockets were the papers he always carried proving he was an Earth Kingdom citizen. Now that the Fire Nation controlled the capital, he supposed the papers were useless. Earth Kingdom citizenship no longer guaranteed his safety.

He ran, dodging the knife at his back as the robber followed. Speed and size were on Lee's side, even if luck abandoned him. His legs carried him without strategy as he turned right and ducked down another street.

"Stop him!" The robber shouted.

Someone did.

Lee tripped over a patch of raised earth, tumbling gracelessly to the dusty road. Before he was able to stand the hands of an earthbender grabbed at him, pulling him roughly to is feet. He tried to shrug away but they did not let go.

Breathing heavily the robber pointed to Lee. "Stop him! The fire brat stole from me!"

Lee's good eye went wide with shock. No way the man was trying to make himself the victim.

"He tried to rob me!" Lee yelled in anger, causing heads to peer from doors and windows to watch the scene.

"Then why were your running away from me?"

Lee shouted. "You pointed a knife to me!"

"It's in his pockets. Check his pockets. I want it back," the thief demanded.

The crowd looked between the two unsure which to believe, the earth blood or the fire teenage.

Lee watched in horror as they sided against him.

The earthbender tightened his grip on Lee's left wrist, looking down at him scowling. "Make this easy kid, give it back."

"I don't have anything," Lee hissed. "He's trying to steal from me!"

Without asking the earthbender started prodding at Lee's pockets.

"Hey!" Lee felt his face redden in embarrassment as the man pulled at his clothes. He tried to push the grown man away. The earthbender swatted Lee's hand out of the way and pulled the useless identification papers from his inner pocket.

The man looked at them before letting go of Lee.

"Wrong kid," the earthbender said. "He doesn't have anything." He handed Lee the papers and Lee snatched them back before he could be assaulted again.

The robber's face fell in disappointment.

Lee grit his teeth and his hands curled into fists. He stormed off in the direction of his home. They thought he was the criminal! Just because he looked … He tried to take a deep breath to ease the rage building in his chest. His hands warmed without his control, fire ready to leap from his hands and burn the worthless papers.

No. If someone saw that would make everything worse. If those earthbenders on the street saw him bend fire the wouldn't think he was a criminal. They'd know he was one of _them_. A fire bender. Fire Nation.

He focused on nothing but his breathing in the dying light before curfew as he went home.

When he knocked on the locked door, Mom answered, alone.

She stared in confusion at the wrinkled identification papers in his fist.

"Someone tried to rob me. Good thing we're poor," he said bluntly, stomping inside past the empty bowl on the counter.

He was nearly robbed and no one helped him because he looked Fire Nation. Because his eyes were too gold, skin too pale, and hair too dark. At least they didn't try to stone him.

Lee realized with dread next time he might not be so lucky.

* * *

Lee stayed inside unless running errands for Mom or Jeng. He read the boring scrolls. He practiced tidying is penmanship with scraps of charcoal in the margins, and even washed their laundry for lack of anything better to do.

Lee learned his lesson about going outside. Mom had the right idea all along he thought bitterly. Stay inside. Stay safe.

He sat at the table, one hand lazily propping up his chin as Mom read on the other side of the room. His eyes drifted, noticing the tall stack of empty bowls on the counter. Five filled bowls still lined the wall, but Mom hadn't refilled the others yet.

Not for lack of wanting, he guessed. To his mother's disappointment, Liew didn't have anymore of the ingredients when Lee delivered and picked up supplies from the herbalist shop.

Eventually Lee fell asleep. Bored, he lay down and let his mind wander in the comfortable heat of the afternoon sun. He drifted in and out of consciousness thinking of Jin, her long twin braids and easy conversations about her family, work, what their date to the new zoo would have been like.

Someone knocked at the door. Softly.

Lee realized he was awake again when the sound interrupted Jin's interest in baby panda-seals.

He lay still and kept his eyes shut, not daring to move. If Mom knew he was awake, she'd kick him out again. And Lee had no desire to leave the comfort of his bed to sit on the bottom steps of their apartment.

"Who's there?" Mom asked.

"Friends." A female voice replied from the other side. "Please, we are friends in need."

Lee heard the heavy lock open and the door open wide enough to meet her visitor. But she didn't let them inside, judging by the lack of footsteps.

"Yes?" She asked. "How can I help you?"

The same voice responded –– a female voice –– so quietly that Lee almost didn't catch their words. "We were told you can help my daughter, that you're a healer."

"I'm an herbalist, not a healer." Mom clarified.

"But you can help us, can't you?" The woman asked desperately.

"I make medicines, not cures. I'll do what I can for you, but I don't have many supplies." Mom allowed the two women inside as equally soft footsteps shuffled across the floorboards.

"My son's sleeping." Mom whispered, easing any concern about another person inside. "Please, tell me more."

The woman and her daughter remained silent. Lee wondered what was wrong until the woman spoke, trying to find her voice.

"Our home was searched this earlier this week." The older woman began. "The soldiers, they came in." She paused again. "They woke us up and said they were looking for firebenders. They wanted firebenders, but … but we're not. We told them and –– they didn't care. One of them," she paused, voice breaking and holding back tears, or at least trying. "hurt my daughter. He …. we couldn't stop them."

Lee lay frozen, too afraid to move and let any of the women in the room know he was awake. In a moment of clarity he understood what happened to that woman's daughter. Heart stopping, fear laced understanding of the Fire Nation's latest war crimes.

He was not too young and naive to know about violence and sex. Like most of his knowledge, Mom explained both to him. _The Fourth Quarter is not always safe for the people that lived here_ , she told him. _And because you live here too you need to know that_. Violence could be a punch or a knife to the stomach, but it was used as a weapon to create fear. And sex could be forced on those who didn't want it for the same reason. She was raped. The woman's daughter was raped by the soldiers.

Lee didn't want to listen. Not anymore. He wanted to get up and run outside, pretend he never heard their conversation. But he couldn't. So Lee lay down, and kept his eyes closed waiting for them to leave.

Mom understood as well. She soothed both strangers with a soft voice and calm words. She poured a cup of water and gave the daughter the medicine she came for, warning her of its bitter taste and its ability to make her bleed. Both of them thanked her profusely.

"Please keep my work secret," Mom asked before they left. "Don't deny other women the same opportunity for help, but be careful who you tell. If the wrong person knew I may not be able to help anyone else. Do you understand?"

The agreed and bid goodbye.

After they left Mom washed another bowl and set it on the counter to dry. Lee pretended to sleep for several more minutes.

He felt the rapid beating of his heart and understood why the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe people hated the Fire Nation and the war crimes they committed.

"They're gone. You can get up now. "

Lee sheepishly opened his eyes and sat up. Of course she knew he'd been awake all this time. She knew everything.

"How did you know?" He asked, he uneasiness replaced by annoyance. He was never a convincing liar. Even something as pointless as sleep he couldn't fake.

"You've always been a light sleeper, Lee. You've never been able to nap through a conversation."

Lee heard the pause of hesitation in her next words, as if she didn't quite know how to react to what he just learned. "Thank you for being respectful. Coming here is difficult, not to mention dangerous, for those women. It takes a lot of courage."

Mom gave him the opening to talk about what he heard. It would be easier to say nothing else and pretend the people knocking on their door needed simply headache remedies, but Lee couldn't. He had to ask, no matter how uncomfortable it made him.

"This whole time, everyone who came here came for the same reason, didn't they? The same medicine?"

Mom nodded. "It's a preventative, nothing more. The women who came here were terrified and traumatized. Their homes and person were invaded. None of them need to worry about having a child right now."

"But you started making those before the searches began." It hurt to even ask. "Did you know … did you know this would happen?"

"It's nothing that hasn't happened before," she admitted with a sad sort of defeat. Perhaps she didn't want to face the reality of events any more than Lee did. "War is more complicated than claiming land and hanging banners. It that's all it took to win, the war would have finished years ago. The Fire Nation wants to keep hold of Earth Kingdom territory by any means possible, no matter how immoral."

Lee bit his lip in frustration. He couldn't do anything to help these women and the new knowledge of the red soldiers presence in the city burned in his chest that had nothing to do with firebending. He suddenly felt stupid and naive the think the Fire Nation could invade Ba Sing Se without disrupting it citizen's lives in such a brutal way.

Lee felt his voice drop into a whisper. He had to know. "Did it happen to you? Am I ––"

"No." Her expression softened as she cut him off before he could finish the thought. "You were very much wanted by both your father and I. We loved you so much."

Sadness returned to her eyes when she realized she mentioned his father. Lee wanted to know why, if only she would share with him. But Mom had already turned away and the conversation was over. She never talked about his father and dodged Lee's questions. Was the memory of losing his father really that painful? Lee had never lost anyone and couldn't begin to imagine.

Silence hung heavily in the air between them. Mom knew too much. Lee felt like he suddenly knew too much, but still didn't know enough.


End file.
